Today’s vehicles are expected to deliver ‘advanced mobility.’ Engaging features are a must, but these enhancements require confidence and stability underpinnings. Vehicle manufacturers are, paradoxically, expected to achieve this with shortened development cycles and strict sustainability targets. For vehicle dynamics teams, the challenge is clear: develop better cars – but do so more efficiently. Increasingly, this is being realised with digital product development workflows.
Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) simulators are digital tools that now sit at the centre of virtual vehicle developments, giving engineering teams the ability to explore suspension, steering, tyre and control system interactions early and often, before any metal is cut.
Useful DIL simulators must do more than replace wrenches with keystrokes. Full human multi-sensory immersion is required. Vision, motion, audio and haptic systems must deliver synchronised, high-fidelity, ultra-low latency content to capture nuances, while also being flexible and scalable. One such example is Ansible Motion’s S3 motion system, which accommodates expanded ground plane excursions – including infinite yaw – without compromising fidelity.
Properly-configured DIL simulator laboratories provide the environments needed to emulate real-world vehicle testing and evaluation – simultaneously providing large engineering sandboxes, while reducing environmental impacts.
The world of vehicle dynamics is evolving fast – and its proving grounds are increasingly virtual.
Read the full article in the latest issue of Vehicle Dynamics International.
