With vehicle development lead times now shorter than ever before, car manufacturers are relying on human-in-the-loop driving simulators to meet deadlines while also ensuring the validation of a growing number of driver assistance technologies. Phil Morse, technical liaison at Ansible Motion, offers insight into what we can expect from simulation in 2018.
With their ever-increasing presence, driving simulators appear to be the latest tool that vehicle constructors rely upon, but they have actually played a part in vehicle development for a long time. Take a look at Mercedes’ enormous simulator with an S-Class perched on top. In fact, simulators using Stewart Platforms (a.k.a. hexapods) were trialed for tire development in the late 1940s.
Developments in responsiveness, graphics, together with improvements in vehicle and road surface modeling fidelity, mean that today’s simulators offer the potential to do much more than 1940s technology.
As we head to 2018, we have made the following predictions for simulation:
1. Looking back to look forward
2. Applying pressure for braking technology
3. Getting to grips with complexity
4. Electro-magnetism
5. Coping with a new car interior
6. Safer testing
Read the full predictions and article on the Automotive Testing Technology website.
