User Interaction with Digital Twins for Driving: How Comparable Are Simulated and Real Trajectories?

This paper investigates the physiological responses of individuals driving both on a real route and within a vehicle simulator designed as a digital twin of that route. The analysis of observed data patterns in stress response bio signals provides sufficient evidence of similarity to validating the driving simulation digital twin as a reliable replacement for real-world experiences in controlled and consistent settings, or when overall trends of physiological variables, rather than specific variable levels, are of interest. The findings also stress the need for optimizing the precision of digital twins in complex settings. This study introduces a time-series-based validation approach for driving digital twins by comparing continuous physiological trajectories between real and simulated driving.