V-Cockpit: A Platform for the Design, Testing, and Validation of Car Infotainment Systems through Virtual Reality

Abstract

The V-Cockpit platform aims to transform the design, testing, and validation of car infotainment systems from the physical realm to virtual reality. It uniquely integrates various aspects of the creative phases—from conceptualization to evaluation—streamlining the process and reducing time and costs compared to traditional methods that focus on individual activities and rely heavily on physical prototyping. This technical note provides a comprehensive overview of the main platform’s aspects, highlighting the integration of hardware and behavioral analysis algorithms to improve user experience and detect potential design flaws early on. The V-Cockpit platform, composed of six key components, leverages virtual reality and digital twins, promising significant cost savings and enhanced design efficiency. This work details the system architecture, implementation, and first benefits of this innovative approach through the analysis of three use cases.

Keywords

• virtual reality
• car infotainment systems
• digital twins
• user experience
• human–computer interaction
• immersive technologies