We are excited to welcome visiting Fulbright scholar Stefan Plaettner to the Driving Safety Research Institute from Dresden, Germany. Plaettner is a mechanical engineering PhD student at the Technical University of Dresden and is working on his dissertation in simulator validation with a background in vehicle dynamics. Before starting his PhD in 2021, Plaettner obtained his Dipl.-Ing in automotive engineering in 2019 and then worked as a research associate at the Technical University of Dresden. Plaettner will stay at the University of Iowa as a visiting short-term scholar through June of this year. 

At the Technical University of Dresden, Plaettner plays a vital role in the development of a tire-based driving simulator. This self-propelled simulator, in theory, provides an unlimited expansion of the testing space, which leads to an overall increase in simulation quality. The goal of this simulator is to provide a more immersive testing experience as the role of the driver changes with the advancement of automation in the automotive industry. Plaettner’s role on the development team focuses on simulation environment and testing its validity. 

Plaettner’s PhD topics focus on the impact of simulator software on driving simulator validity, and the systematic evaluation process for driving simulator validity. During his time at the University of Iowa, Plaettner plans to finish his literature review on driving simulator validation approaches and conduct an on-screen experiment regarding visual perception baseline. Plaettner will play an important role at the Driving Safety Research Institute in both the exchange of research and cultural aspects between Germany and the United States.