SIMULATION A decade of virtual testing


Ansible Motion tells Jonathan Newell about how simulation technology has changed emphasis during the last decade.


T


here’s no doubt within the automotive industry that high quality, engineering grade simulation has a significant role to play in design, verification and prototyping. There has always been this role since the


old hexapod style systems were used for assessing the ergonomics and handling characteristics of vehicles. Since that time, the industry has changed immensely. Autonomy, active safety systems and a shift in emphasis away from performance towards more efficient powertrains have combined with a race to achieve faster times to market in an extremely competitive industry.


Such is the increase in demand for high end


simulation systems, that UK based Ansible Motion is celebrating its first decade in the industry with an expansion of its facilities. Funded in part by the European Regional Development Fund, the expansion has been made possible through the New Anglia Small Grant Scheme and will see Ansible Motion double its office space at its Hethel Engineering Centre for the design, validation and manufacturing of its proven simulator and testing technologies. I spoke to the company’s Phil Morse about the


changes in the automotive industry that are driving such a need to expand.


MOTION CONTROL Morse explains that the company set out in 2009 to be a motion system supplier. “We looked at the motion platforms that were available at the time and thought if we were to re-invent the wheel, how would we do it?”, he explains. Motion systems for simulators were originally


developed in the war years and the original hexapod concept had never changed. The hexapod is a complex structure requiring careful positional control of each structural element to achieve even the simplest of motions. Such is the complexity that it makes even moon walking appear intuitive.


❱ ❱ Ansible Motion has grown from supplying plug-in motion platforms to offering full suite DiL simulation systems to meet the increasing test and development needs of the automotive industry


The result of Ansible Motion’s platform engineering was a much simpler 6 degree-of-freedom platform which gave the company an edge that it still maintains today. “Since then, we’ve progressed a lot and rather than supplying the platform for others to plug into, we’re now a full simulation suite supplier,” says Morse. According to Morse, a big difference today is


the state of automotive autonomy. “A decade ago, autonomous technology wasn’t as accessible as it is now and currently, the notion of autonomy is being matched by technology that makes it viable,” he says.


DEVELOPMENT TOOL With the increased complexity of automotive technology, simulation has become one of the tools that OEMs need for development testing verification and to open up new development opportunities and possibilities.


With Driver-in-the-Loop (DiL) technology, OEMs


can evaluate the driver response to such new driving experiences as managing the handover to and from autonomous control, for example. Ansible Motion has discovered recently that the long held belief that motorsport is the breeding ground for new ideas in the industry is starting to be turned on its head. Morse is finding that developments in mainstream motoring are based on different incentives and that the motorsport industry in some ways is finding that it needs to change in order to make itself more relevant. As a result of such changes in emphasis and new


interactions between drivers and their vehicles, Ansible Motion now has the need to expand its operations and fulfil the support tasks that have arisen to help existing users make the most of the opportunities that are available. “The expansion allows us to grow our facilities and ensure we have the team in place needed to support new and existing customers,” concludes Morse.


Automotive Test & Validation Vol 2 No. 2 /// 3


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24