AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY FOCUS
Today’s cars are growing in complexity, and the introduction of connectivity and autonomy means that the development of the next generation of vehicles won’t
be any simpler or cheaper. As a result, manufacturers need to always be on the look-out for potential savings in their R&D budgets. Phil Morse, international manager at Ansible Motion, examines how Driver in the Loop (DIL) simulators can help
EXPERIMENTATION in the virtual world
hardware and advanced software with ease, enabling engineers to recreate real-world scenarios and see how real people react to emerging technologies. Simulators offer vehicle manufacturers
If driving simulator experiments can be satisfactorily efficient and informative, the system can save time within the vehicle development cycle
A
Driver in the Loop (DIL) simulator is a mechanism for creating an immersive
environment for drivers. If a simulator can create an illusion that is so convincing that a driver responds as if they were in a real car, then it can be a very useful and cost-effective tool for human factor studies, vehicle engineering work and/or fundamental research.
some obvious benefits over using real cars – fewer prototype and development cars are needed (sometimes costing as much as £1m each); and the ability to test many scenarios in a laboratory environment. Using DIL simulation labs, professional evaluators, managers and even every-day people can experience a world of possibilities in a short time, in a controlled and safe environment. When testing connected cars, experimentation in the virtual world can reduce some of the inherent risk. For example, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and semi-autonomous systems have evaluation modes when the car is on the verge of losing control or about to collide with something. Another benefit is time savings. One
“Simulators offer vehicle manufacturers some obvious benefits over using real cars – fewer prototype and development cars are needed (sometimes costing as much as £1m each); and the ability to test many scenarios in a laboratory environment”
DIL simulation has progressed
dramatically in recent times. Legacy, ‘hexapod’ style simulators, derived from the aircraft technology 50+ years ago, are now being superseded by so-called ‘engineering-class’ simulators. These powerful devices can be connected to real
“My first visit to Ansible Motion was a fantastic experience. The physical feedback provided by the Delta series driving simulator was realistic, I could feel the moment the car began to slide. Ansible Motion’s concept was to coax me into behaving as if I was in a real car. It’s a subtle distinction, but an important one. “Ansible Motion’s technique relies on modelling the human
vestibular system and synchronising that with visual content; effectively ‘mapping’ the desired sensations of movement and sight to the physical motions required from the simulator. As far as I can make out, it is part neuroscience, part magic – but it works.” Dean Stoneman, professional driver.
US OEM has claimed that by pre- qualifying testing on a DIL simulator, a standard ten-day testing session for electronic stability control (ESC) can potentially be reduced to just three days. If driving simulator experiments can be
satisfactorily efficient and informative, the system can save time within the vehicle development cycle. This margin of time can then be repurposed as needed – perhaps more simulator lab experiments can be conducted, perhaps more people can be surveyed about new features and intervention schemes, and even more on-road experiments can be squeezed into a finite development schedule. All of this boosts the chances of arriving at more robust solutions and/or reduces time to market.
THE BENEFITS TO OEMS The new areas of electrification, connectivity and autonomy are where the much-needed feedback from human drivers and occupants is leading to more OEMs relying on DIL simulators. As drivers are not yet fully conversant
with the ‘handover’ experience of a car taking over control, such scenarios can be confusing, awkward or even dangerous when there are misunderstandings about what the car is doing and why. The benefits go beyond driving style,
in a traditional sense, and as far as consumer behaviour. Understanding how potential buyers and end users interact with new infotainment features, data overload and distracting devices may be the real ‘driving forces’ that are pushing legacy testing and verification methods into new areas. Customer satisfaction is still a priority, but one can bet that achieving it will be quite different in the next few years.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Looking even further ahead than the next decade, DIL simulators will also be answering fundamental questions around full autonomy. A simulator can be used to determine root causes and countermeasures for car sickness, an issue that has been reported in autonomous vehicle testing – and a subject that autonomous advocates are yet to fully acknowledge. Ever try reading a book in a moving car? Ansible Motion is already working with several universities and research organisations to investigate this phenomenon. It’s clear that, in the future, the way our
cars work and the way in which people interact with them is more likely to have been developed and refined in virtual worlds, rather than in the real world.
Ansible Motion
www.ansiblemotion.com
DESIGN SOLUTIONS | JULY/AUGUST 2018
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