According to DiL simulator manufacturer Cruden, five of the nine simulators it has delivered to BMW Group’s new FIZ Driving Simulator Centre in Munich feature LED wall solutions from specialist ICT. The company believes that this is the first major implementation of LED wall visual technology in driving simulators.
LED panel technology has become increasingly attractive for driving simulators thanks to developments such as improved pixel pitch, which has decreased from 2.5mm to as little as 0.9mm. Other advantages over projection systems include high brightness and contrast. The screens produce enough light to create realistic lighting, both outside and inside the car, in the same way LED walls are used to create virtual set backdrops in the movie industry. This means simulator rooms no longer have to be dark.
LED screens also have low latency and high frame rates, alongside color and brightness uniformity and a lack of any blend zones. Because there is no light path between a projector and projection screen, the risk of the simulator mock-up or motion platform blocking the visuals is completely eliminated. This brings much greater flexibility in the size and shape of simulator hardware used. Mock-ups can be bigger, as can motion platforms, in turn delivering a larger workspace.