Patent ID: 8758016

Claim:
A system for simulating the operation of a vehicle, all operational tasks within the vehicle, and a surrounding real environment to a team of several individuals within the vehicle, the several individuals having different functional responsibilities for the operation of the vehicle being simulated comprising: a support frame having a forward and rear end, a roll over cradle moveably attached to the support frame through first and second bearings in the support frame front and rear portions, a pitch cradle moveably mounted on a roll over cradle to provide front, rear and sideways rocking motion, a simulation vehicle that is substantially the same, at least in its interior, as the vehicle being simulated including operational equipment duplicating or simulating the equipment that each team member would use in performing their individual team function, the simulation vehicle mounted on the pitch cradle, a steering wheel, brake and gas pedal system including a force feedback mechanism which simulates operation and all possible a movement of the vehicle over the terrain in conditions being simulated, effect devices mounted in or on the simulation vehicle to provide to the individuals in the simulation vehicle various environmental effects and a computer based system programmed for controlling the operation of the rollover cradle, pitch cradle, simulation vehicle, all operational or simulation equipment and effect devices such that the system provides to all of the individuals within the simulation vehicle the same visual, sound, tactile and operational experience as if they were in the actual vehicle traveling in the real environment being simulated wherein the computer based system is programmed to provide said simulated action to, and receive responsive input from, each said individual, said responsive input of each individual modifying the simulated action provided by the computer based system so that all of the team comprising several individuals can receive and continuously respond on a real time basis to all externally generated simulation as modified by the team generated response actions thereto such that input from each individuals in the team within the simulation vehicle in response to externally generated simulation as well as modifications thereof generated by the other team members responsive thereto continuously modify one simulated operation of the vehicle.