Looka successfully defended his MSc Thesis titled Freewheeling in Virtual Space: Design of a Single-Track Vehicle Simulator for Simulating Sustained Turning Motions on May 1, 2026.

Looka invented, designed, built, and tested an innovative single-track vehicle simulator. We believe it is the first such simulator to have both natural balancing through steering and continuous rotation for turning. Coupled with virtual speed-dependent stability, this will offer the most realistic reproduction of what it feels like to ride a bicycle while stationary within a laboratory setting. Looka's process started with a multibody dynamic model of the system coupled to both a simulator and human controller to prove the system would behave like a single-track vehicle. See one of his simulations below:

He then designed and constructed the simulator to prove that it works. See the video below for a demonstration of Looka riding the simulator after his graduation. The simulator is balanced via steering, includes natural countersteering, and in this mode is similar to balancing a bicycle at very low speeds, i.e. no self-stability active.

Furthermore, Looka went beyond his thesis and worked with us and TU Delft's innovation team to submit a patent application on this concept as well as co-wrote an NWO Demonstrator grant proposal for the project. This was an extraordinary effort from an MSc student. Looka was supervised by Jason K. Moore and José Alfonso Farías Fuentes. Everyone at the bicycle lab is very proud of Looka and wishes him the best with his next endeavors. We are also excited to start doing research with his simulator!