Advanced driver assistance features have been around for well over two decades (if you count the earliest cruise control) and there’s no doubt that the roads are safer for them. But as the list of features, sensors and software grows and complexity increases, making sure there are no glitches that cause more problems than they solve is crucial. Systems that intervene with driving (braking or steering), like autonomous emergency braking and active lane keeping, are among the most safety critical and there can’t be any circumstances where they lose the plot and do something they shouldn’t. But unfortunately, they sometimes do. BBC News recently reported that cars in Somerset had left the road after advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) apparently mistook a cattle grid for a wall and slammed on the brakes.

We wanted to share news about the use of Ansible Motion simulators in automotive design.

Recently, press reports in the UK recounted a scenario whereby vehicles with ADAS were being confused by a cattle grid (a metal grate in the road surface to prevent cattle crossing). The grid was cut into a steep section of road, and due to the contrast in gradient between the grid and road, ADAS were identifying it as a wall and thus applying emergency braking. Ultimately, the local council in the area performed £70,000 (US$95,000) of remedial work to reprofile the section of road in question. Kia Cammaerts, director of simulation specialist Ansible Motion, writes that this is precisely the sort of scenario that may not be experienced over thousands of miles of physical driving but can be accounted for in simulation.

Acknowledging its manufacturing excellence and growth, Norfolk-based Ansible Motion, a trusted specialist in Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) vehicle simulation technology, has been awarded with two Broadland & South Norfolk Business Awards for Advanced Manufacturing and International Business Growth in 2020.

Based in Norfolk’s Hethel Innovation Centre for over ten years, Ansible Motion creates Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) simulators aimed to increase efficiencies, safety and realise OEM and Tier One vehicle objectives. Ansible Motion does this by delivering reliable testing for a range of vehicle engineers by placing them in a virtual world. Its DIL simulators are used to test a range of vehicles, from road cars to racing cars, special and low-volume ground transportation, and has the main aim of being an engineering assistance tool, delivering class-leading dynamics, immersion and motion, created by Ansible Motion’s team of leading mechatronic engineers in Norfolk.

Ansible Motion can confirm that BMW Group has upgraded to its new, class-leading Delta S3 driving simulator to acquire more accurate and representative data to develop, refine and validate the latest vehicles and technologies virtually. Ansible Motion’s compact, lightweight Delta S3 simulator will ensure BMW Group can do more representative testing in a virtual world.

The symposium gathers international specialists from the science and industry in the field of driving simulation and autonomous driving.

Gavin Farmer, commercial group manager of Ansible Motion, speaks to Manufacturing Management about the recent increase in online training in the engineering sector and how simulation-based technology is set to drive the long-term trend towards remote learning.

Ansible Motion, the pioneering specialist in Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) vehicle simulation technology, has widened its pool of talent with three new appointments to its engineering and design teams, as it responds to the recent growth in demand.

The fresh recruitment drive comes during a successful period of growth for the Norwich-based company, which has benefitted from the rise in demand for portable simulation technology during COVID across vehicle manufacturing and motorsports sectors.

It’s very easy to see an electric car and get wrapped up in minutiae on its battery size, number of motors, charge rate, or even the electrical infrastructure that underpins the system...

...we ventured down to the heart of NASCAR country to experience Ford’s latest electric car and first Mustang-badged crossover on the same advanced driving simulator engineers use for development tuning.

Driving simulators are in demand now more than ever, providing repeatable laboratory-like environments to test and validate the rising number of User Interfaces (UI) and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technologies.