Beach-dune modelling in support of Building with Nature for an integrated spatial design of urbanized sandy shores

The long-term physical existence of sandy shores critically depends on a balanced sediment budget. From the principles of Building with Nature it follows that a sustainable protection of sandy shores should employ some form of shore nourishment. In the spatial design process of urbanized sandy shores, where multiple functions must be integrated,...

The effect of building geometry on the size of aeolian deposition patterns: Scale model experiments at the beach

In sandy environments, like the beach-dune system, buildings not only affect the airflow, but also the aeolian sediment transport in their surroundings. In this study, we determine how the horizontal size of sediment deposition patterns around buildings depends on the building's dimensions. Four one-day experiments were conducted at the beach...

A Unifying Theory of Driver Perception and Steering Control on Straight and Winding Roads

Novel driver support systems potentially enhance road safety by cooperating with the human driver. To optimize the design of emerging steering support systems, a profound understanding of driver steering behavior is required. This article proposes a new theory of driver steering, which unifies visual perception and control models. The theory...

Expertise effects in cutaneous wind perception

We examined whether expertise effects are present in cutaneous wind perception. To this end, we presented wind stimuli consisting of different wind directions and speeds in a wind simulator. The wind simulator generated wind stimuli from 16 directions and with three speeds by means of eight automotive wind fans. Participants were asked to...

Implications of diurnal and seasonal variations in renewable energy generation for large scale energy storage

Enhancement of Presence in a Virtual Sailing Environment through Localized Wind Simulation

In the context of sailing, wind plays an important role. However, there is little knowledge on how wind influences presence – the sense of “being there” - while immersed in a virtual setting. This article explores several wind parameters and presents a wind array to explore presence in a sail simulator. The simulation offered a virtual training...