Edd Straw interviews Kia Cammaerts, founder and technical director of Ansible Motion, provider of the kind of high-fidelity Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) simulation tools used by F1 teams.
The in-depth interview (23:15 - 42:45) covers how DIL simulator technology has developed over recent decades, how teams and drivers use simulators as performance tools, and even where the technology might take the sport in the future.
Cammaerts describes the evolution of DIL simulators in motorsport as a mirror of the technical evolution of the vehicles themselves:
"We're moving toward software-defined vehicles where software is dominating the character of the cars. DIL simulators provide a flexible tool chain that can not only be used for the usual marginal gains . . . but also in ways that allow complete freedom to operate. The real case for DIL is that human drivers must be able to extract real world performance from proposed systems."
Regarding the future of DIL, Cammaerts identifies the emerging technologies related to monitoring human sensory perception – including new data collection techniques for cognitive loading, fatigue detection, and more.
Listen to the full interview on the The Race podcast website.