July 1960: the universal automobile simulator

Today, learner drivers in Coventry have the option of paying for a service that puts them in a simulated environment before heading onto the road.

SmartLearner Driving School claims to be the first driving school in England to have its own driving simulator, which comes with eye trackers, motion detectors and an advanced PC system to monitor learners as they get to grips with car controls.

In the broader automotive world, car manufacturers make extensive use of simulators for the purpose of research and testing and the advent of autonomous vehicles is driving a simulator market valued at $4.6bn in 2019 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.4 per cent to 2027 as manufacturers invest in tech that helps them iron out glitches prior to production.

By 1960 the use of simulators had gained traction in industries where training at full scale was too expensive or dangerous but in July of that year General Precision Systems, Ltd. of Aylesbury, Bucks was bringing simulators to the masses with Sim-L-Car.