Applus+ Idiada has expanded its virtual development capabilities with the acquisition of two driving simulators from VI-grade: the DiM250 and a compact simulator. These tools are said to enable unique possibilities in virtual testing in areas such as chassis development, vehicle dynamics, ADAS, autonomous driving and human factor applications.
By exploiting the synergies between physical and virtual testing, Idiada can generate and correlate models using its own tracks, available as public road data files and high-resolution graphics.“The driving simulator is a key facility in our chassis and vehicle dynamics development projects as it links up our virtual and real activities,” said Roger Mateu, head of vehicle dynamics and NVH at Applus+ Idiada.
“Driving simulators are an essential tool in the development and testing of new vehicles. The level of accuracy of virtual vehicle models, the precision of movements of the motion platform, and the availability of rendered tracks has reached an unprecedented level of accuracy. Results from driving simulators are reliable, and CAE engineers, together with test drivers, can take important decisions before building the first prototype and hitting the track for the first time,” explained Alessio Lombardi, south Europe sales director at VI-grade.
“Idiada selected our DiM250 dynamic driving simulator and compact simulator to bridge the gap between testing and simulation, to help its customers to develop cars faster and better, and to provide a multidisciplinary laboratory to find the best trade-off between different vehicle targets. What Idiada is doing is a sign of the revolution that is happening in the way cars are developed nowadays and engineers and drivers here are getting ready for the near future.”
The new simulation lab’s main feature is the dynamic DiM250 simulator, which can generate longitudinal, transversal and rotational acceleration forces up to 2.5g, characterized by extremely low latency and high frequency, replicating a wide range of vehicle dynamics maneuvers and reproducing complex driving situations. The DiM250 is complemented by a compact driving simulator that shares the same main features, except for the motion system.