VI-grade International Conference 2020 goes Virtual with 1300 registered participants
Darmstadt (Germany), May 19th, 2020 – VI-grade, the leading provider of best-in-class products and services to bridge the gap between real world testing and technical simulation, today announced the official review of its first Virtual International Conference.
With a total number of over 1300 registered participants from 42 countries and over 400 different companies and an average of 600 participants connected at the same time, VI-grade reaches its personal record of number of attendees at this year’s Virtual International Conference. Never before have so many simulation experts, managers and engineers from all over the world gathered virtually to discuss the latest trends in driving simulation and to exchange their experience with other partners and users of the VI-grade technology. The virtual live event took place on May 13th from 13:00 to 18:00 CEST, with the exhibition area open for 24 hours. In addition, the event including recorded presentations, webinars and interactive booths will be accessible for everyone until June 12th at https://vi-grade.vfairs.com.
Besides the well-known motto among the VI-grade community “Bridging the gap between Testing and Simulation”, this year’s event was also characterized by the topics “Innovation and Collaboration” which were represented by the 6 customer presentations from Goodyear, Applus+ IDIADA, Volvo Car Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Maserati in collaboration with MegaRide and Automobili Pininfarina in collaboration with Danisi Engineering.
Thus, Volvo Cars reported that, year after year, they are getting closer to virtual sign-off that will allow to significantly decrease physical prototypes while facing and solving engineering challenges earlier in the design cycle. Ford Motor Company on the other hand, is on the forefront in the usage of NVH Simulators to predict and optimize sound and vibrations on its vehicles.
But also, Applus+ IDIADA is in no way inferior and completely understood that simulation and driving simulators are the only way towards a successful implementation of Connected Vehicles.
Just as important as innovation is collaboration, as the joint presentation of Maserati and MegaRide proved, who are currently working together to better integrate chassis components and tires. The need for collaboration does not go unnoticed by The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company either, as they are currently implementing a Driving Simulator strategy to better serve the automotive OEMs and to follow their path towards virtual sign-off. Finally, the virtual conference was concluded by the joint presentation of Automobili Pininfarina and Danisi Engineering that developed a beautiful and innovative car, sharing their respective strengths and skills.
Furthermore, Robert Ryan, President at VI-grade, also revealed a novel innovative addition to the VI-grade product family. The DiM400 is part of a new category of cable driven simulators that allow going beyond the limitations of longitudinal actuators used on DiM150 and DiM250 and boast the largest performance envelope in the industry. The first model of DiM400 has been built and will soon be installed at the VI-grade SimCenter in Udine, Italy. Another DiM400 has already been sold to the first customer and is expected to be installed in the third quarter of 2020.
Although this year’s show could only be held virtually and the popular Networking Sessions like the traditional Ice-Breaker-Event could not take place as usual, the 2020 Virtual International Conference was greatly appreciated by the VI-grade community, with an overall NPS value of 44. “It was great and for the first time nearly perfect”, “Very well organized, it was almost like attending in person”, “Perfect organization of a virtual conference with some important inputs for current work”, “Felt like a conference but digital. Impressed to offer this for free …” are just some of the comments left by selected attendees.
Nonetheless the 2020 Virtual International Conference also offered a fully functional virtual exhibition area, where all sponsors and partners had the chance of presenting their solutions to all participants featuring virtual booths of Applus+ IDIADA (Platinum Sponsors), Danisi Engineering, Rebel Dynamics, SAGInoMIYA (Platinum Sponsors), Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, cosin scientific software, IMTEC engineering, MegaRide, MSC Software, Multimatic, SimCoVR (Golden Sponsors), 3D Mapping Solutions, Altair, Heeds, Konrad Technologies, Horiba Mira, Screenline and Smarteye (Silver Sponsors).
Finally, VI-grade was also pleased to announce the confirmed dates of the 2021 International Conference, which will take place on April 12-13-14th, 2021 in Sitges, Spain.
For additional information about the 2020 Virtual International Conference, please visit https://conference.vi-grade.com. Everyone is invited to access free-of-charge the virtual event venue including recorded presentations and webinars, 20 interactive booths and a series of live follow-up webinars which will be hosted every Friday between May 29th and June 12th, 2020.
With a total number of over 1300 registered participants from 42 countries and over 400 different companies and an average of 600 participants connected at the same time, VI-grade reaches its personal record of number of attendees at this year’s Virtual International Conference. Never before have so many simulation experts, managers and engineers from all over the world gathered virtually to discuss the latest trends in driving simulation and to exchange their experience with other partners and users of the VI-grade technology. The virtual live event took place on May 13th from 13:00 to 18:00 CEST, with the exhibition area open for 24 hours. In addition, the event including recorded presentations, webinars and interactive booths will be accessible for everyone until June 12th at https://vi-grade.vfairs.com.
Besides the well-known motto among the VI-grade community “Bridging the gap between Testing and Simulation”, this year’s event was also characterized by the topics “Innovation and Collaboration” which were represented by the 6 customer presentations from Goodyear, Applus+ IDIADA, Volvo Car Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Maserati in collaboration with MegaRide and Automobili Pininfarina in collaboration with Danisi Engineering.
Thus, Volvo Cars reported that, year after year, they are getting closer to virtual sign-off that will allow to significantly decrease physical prototypes while facing and solving engineering challenges earlier in the design cycle. Ford Motor Company on the other hand, is on the forefront in the usage of NVH Simulators to predict and optimize sound and vibrations on its vehicles.
But also, Applus+ IDIADA is in no way inferior and completely understood that simulation and driving simulators are the only way towards a successful implementation of Connected Vehicles.
Just as important as innovation is collaboration, as the joint presentation of Maserati and MegaRide proved, who are currently working together to better integrate chassis components and tires. The need for collaboration does not go unnoticed by The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company either, as they are currently implementing a Driving Simulator strategy to better serve the automotive OEMs and to follow their path towards virtual sign-off. Finally, the virtual conference was concluded by the joint presentation of Automobili Pininfarina and Danisi Engineering that developed a beautiful and innovative car, sharing their respective strengths and skills.
Furthermore, Robert Ryan, President at VI-grade, also revealed a novel innovative addition to the VI-grade product family. The DiM400 is part of a new category of cable driven simulators that allow going beyond the limitations of longitudinal actuators used on DiM150 and DiM250 and boast the largest performance envelope in the industry. The first model of DiM400 has been built and will soon be installed at the VI-grade SimCenter in Udine, Italy. Another DiM400 has already been sold to the first customer and is expected to be installed in the third quarter of 2020.
Although this year’s show could only be held virtually and the popular Networking Sessions like the traditional Ice-Breaker-Event could not take place as usual, the 2020 Virtual International Conference was greatly appreciated by the VI-grade community, with an overall NPS value of 44. “It was great and for the first time nearly perfect”, “Very well organized, it was almost like attending in person”, “Perfect organization of a virtual conference with some important inputs for current work”, “Felt like a conference but digital. Impressed to offer this for free …” are just some of the comments left by selected attendees.
Nonetheless the 2020 Virtual International Conference also offered a fully functional virtual exhibition area, where all sponsors and partners had the chance of presenting their solutions to all participants featuring virtual booths of Applus+ IDIADA (Platinum Sponsors), Danisi Engineering, Rebel Dynamics, SAGInoMIYA (Platinum Sponsors), Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, cosin scientific software, IMTEC engineering, MegaRide, MSC Software, Multimatic, SimCoVR (Golden Sponsors), 3D Mapping Solutions, Altair, Heeds, Konrad Technologies, Horiba Mira, Screenline and Smarteye (Silver Sponsors).
Finally, VI-grade was also pleased to announce the confirmed dates of the 2021 International Conference, which will take place on April 12-13-14th, 2021 in Sitges, Spain.
For additional information about the 2020 Virtual International Conference, please visit https://conference.vi-grade.com. Everyone is invited to access free-of-charge the virtual event venue including recorded presentations and webinars, 20 interactive booths and a series of live follow-up webinars which will be hosted every Friday between May 29th and June 12th, 2020.
CEVT adopts VI-grade DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator
Darmstadt (Germany), May 7th, 2020 – Sweden-based innovation center for the future cars of the Geely Holding Group CEVT (China Euro Vehicle Technology AB) announced today the purchase of a DYNAMIC Driving Simulator from VI-grade to enhance its research and development capabilities.
In detail, CEVT has selected a DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator (Driver-in-Motion) equipped with the whole VI-DriveSim software suite and with active technology (belts, seat, brake and shakers) that will be installed in the to-be-built second part of Geely’s campus at Lindholmen, UNI3 by Geely, which will be inaugurated around midsummer 2021.
The driving simulator, which is expected to be up and running a bit earlier than that, will be used for Vehicle Dynamics, Ride & Comfort as well as ADAS applications in the development of new vehicles, with particular reference to the Lynk & Co. brand.
CEVT is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and covers vital aspects of passenger car development – from architecture to powertrain and driveline components, to top hat engineering, i.e. the upper body structure as well as the vehicles' exterior design. The company represents an innovation centre for the future cars of the Geely Holding Group with the purpose of being at the forefront of new developments in the automotive industry.
“For CEVT this investment is a crucial part of our toolbox to develop the mobility solutions for a different tomorrow. It shows the importance of CEVT as a company within the Geely Auto Group as well as a company in the automotive capital of the Nordics”, said Mats Fägerhag CEO at CEVT. “Our ambition with the simulator is to replicate the real world in as many aspects as possible to provide our engineers with an alternative to real world tests. In many cases we see that we can do the same tests as in the real world and still get a high level of representation of reality. This means that the simulator can be an option to any test that can be done on a prototype vehicle or a test vehicle in general. Examples of such studies can be vehicle dynamics, ride and handling but also research on autonomous cars as well as future transportation and mobility. Anything that can be modelled on a computer in an accurate manner can be tested”, added Fägerhag.
“Imagine that you have a new idea for some function that you want to test in the car. In the past you had to design the function, build a prototype of it and put it in a test car, go to the test track, try it and in the end perhaps go on with it or do modifications. These steps can often take months and cost a lot of money for each and every part of the process. With the simulator you can do a simple model of the function, take it downstairs to the simulator and try it out directly. You also get direct access to all the data and better control of the test. Think about all the innovation that can take place! We can probably test our vehicles half a year before we get the prototypes for them. A design change can take a week instead of until the next prototype series, which can be due in a year”, said Albin Gröndahl, CAE Engineer and Project Manager for the Driving Simulator at CEVT.
“Once again, we are very happy to report on the adoption of our DYNAMIC Driving Simulator at another automotive company such as CEVT” said Guido Bairati, VP Global Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “This marks the 20th installation of our flagship DYNAMIC Driving Simulators (DiM150 and DiM250) on a worldwide basis and the second exemplar installed in the city of Gothenburg, where also Volvo’s DiM150 is operational since 2014”.
To reproduce vehicle movements and accelerations, the DiM solution takes a different path to driving simulation and is based on a patented revolutionary design with nine actuators. The resulting configuration with its 9 degrees of freedom enables to go beyond the basic six-actuator design of a simple hexapod or similar, thus providing a larger workspace while maintaining a high stiffness. This leads to a system suitable for low as well as high frequencies, both of which occur in automotive chassis design. For this reason, DiM enables to investigate vehicle dynamics as well as ride and comfort on the same driving simulator.
In detail, CEVT has selected a DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator (Driver-in-Motion) equipped with the whole VI-DriveSim software suite and with active technology (belts, seat, brake and shakers) that will be installed in the to-be-built second part of Geely’s campus at Lindholmen, UNI3 by Geely, which will be inaugurated around midsummer 2021.
The driving simulator, which is expected to be up and running a bit earlier than that, will be used for Vehicle Dynamics, Ride & Comfort as well as ADAS applications in the development of new vehicles, with particular reference to the Lynk & Co. brand.
CEVT is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and covers vital aspects of passenger car development – from architecture to powertrain and driveline components, to top hat engineering, i.e. the upper body structure as well as the vehicles' exterior design. The company represents an innovation centre for the future cars of the Geely Holding Group with the purpose of being at the forefront of new developments in the automotive industry.
“For CEVT this investment is a crucial part of our toolbox to develop the mobility solutions for a different tomorrow. It shows the importance of CEVT as a company within the Geely Auto Group as well as a company in the automotive capital of the Nordics”, said Mats Fägerhag CEO at CEVT. “Our ambition with the simulator is to replicate the real world in as many aspects as possible to provide our engineers with an alternative to real world tests. In many cases we see that we can do the same tests as in the real world and still get a high level of representation of reality. This means that the simulator can be an option to any test that can be done on a prototype vehicle or a test vehicle in general. Examples of such studies can be vehicle dynamics, ride and handling but also research on autonomous cars as well as future transportation and mobility. Anything that can be modelled on a computer in an accurate manner can be tested”, added Fägerhag.
“Imagine that you have a new idea for some function that you want to test in the car. In the past you had to design the function, build a prototype of it and put it in a test car, go to the test track, try it and in the end perhaps go on with it or do modifications. These steps can often take months and cost a lot of money for each and every part of the process. With the simulator you can do a simple model of the function, take it downstairs to the simulator and try it out directly. You also get direct access to all the data and better control of the test. Think about all the innovation that can take place! We can probably test our vehicles half a year before we get the prototypes for them. A design change can take a week instead of until the next prototype series, which can be due in a year”, said Albin Gröndahl, CAE Engineer and Project Manager for the Driving Simulator at CEVT.
“Once again, we are very happy to report on the adoption of our DYNAMIC Driving Simulator at another automotive company such as CEVT” said Guido Bairati, VP Global Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “This marks the 20th installation of our flagship DYNAMIC Driving Simulators (DiM150 and DiM250) on a worldwide basis and the second exemplar installed in the city of Gothenburg, where also Volvo’s DiM150 is operational since 2014”.
To reproduce vehicle movements and accelerations, the DiM solution takes a different path to driving simulation and is based on a patented revolutionary design with nine actuators. The resulting configuration with its 9 degrees of freedom enables to go beyond the basic six-actuator design of a simple hexapod or similar, thus providing a larger workspace while maintaining a high stiffness. This leads to a system suitable for low as well as high frequencies, both of which occur in automotive chassis design. For this reason, DiM enables to investigate vehicle dynamics as well as ride and comfort on the same driving simulator.
Attend the 2020 International VI-grade Virtual Conference for free!
Darmstadt (Germany), April 23rd, 2020 – VI-grade today announced the 2020 International VI-grade Virtual Conference to be held on May 13th, 2020 at 1:00pm CEST.
Just one year ago, more than 240 engineers, managers and simulation experts from all over the world gathered in the city of Hanau near Frankfurt, Germany, to attend the 11th edition of the VI-grade International Conference and to discuss the latest trends in driving simulation. Despite the exceptional situation caused by COVID-19 pandemic, VI-grade continues bridging the gap and once again gives its international community the opportunity to discover more about the company’s current strategies and directions and to exchange experience with other partners and users of the VI-grade technology in a Virtual Conference.
The free-of-charge event, dedicated to executive managers and experienced engineers from the main automotive and transportation companies, tier1 suppliers, motorsport teams, universities and research centers from all over the world, will be hosted on May 13th, 2020 at 1:00pm CEST | 7:00am EDT | 8:00pm JST and will take advantage of the most sophisticated web conferencing techniques now available on the market.
The web conference will give the VI-grade international community of users, partners and prospective customers the possibility to learn more about how the main players of the worldwide automotive industry currently use simulation and driving simulators to accelerate the development of new vehicles, featuring confirmed (keynote and technical) online presentations so far from Applus + IDIADA, Goodyear, Maserati, Pininfarina, Volvo.
Additionally, the event will feature a fully functional virtual exhibition area open during the whole day of May 13th, in which all sponsors and partners will have the chance of presenting their solutions during dedicated sessions open to all participants. Confirmed sponsors of the Virtual Conference so far are: Applus+ IDIADA, Danisi Engineering, Rebel Dynamics, Saginomiya, Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, Cosin, Heeds, IMTEC Engineering, MegaRide, MSC Software, Multimatic, SimCoVR, 3D Mapping, Altair, Horiba Mira, Konrad Technologies, Screenline, Smart Eye.
“Particularly due to the great success of our previous conferences, we are very pleased to have found a way to produce the 12th edition of our International Conference despite the current emergency situation,” said Guido Bairati, Vice President Global Sales & Marketing, VI-grade. “Therefore, we are especially looking forward to giving our international community the opportunity to share their latest projects and advancements realized using our simulation solutions with an experienced audience.”
Everyone is invited to join the 2020 International VI-grade Virtual Conference by registering free-of-charge at the link https://conference.vi-grade.com.
Just one year ago, more than 240 engineers, managers and simulation experts from all over the world gathered in the city of Hanau near Frankfurt, Germany, to attend the 11th edition of the VI-grade International Conference and to discuss the latest trends in driving simulation. Despite the exceptional situation caused by COVID-19 pandemic, VI-grade continues bridging the gap and once again gives its international community the opportunity to discover more about the company’s current strategies and directions and to exchange experience with other partners and users of the VI-grade technology in a Virtual Conference.
The free-of-charge event, dedicated to executive managers and experienced engineers from the main automotive and transportation companies, tier1 suppliers, motorsport teams, universities and research centers from all over the world, will be hosted on May 13th, 2020 at 1:00pm CEST | 7:00am EDT | 8:00pm JST and will take advantage of the most sophisticated web conferencing techniques now available on the market.
The web conference will give the VI-grade international community of users, partners and prospective customers the possibility to learn more about how the main players of the worldwide automotive industry currently use simulation and driving simulators to accelerate the development of new vehicles, featuring confirmed (keynote and technical) online presentations so far from Applus + IDIADA, Goodyear, Maserati, Pininfarina, Volvo.
Additionally, the event will feature a fully functional virtual exhibition area open during the whole day of May 13th, in which all sponsors and partners will have the chance of presenting their solutions during dedicated sessions open to all participants. Confirmed sponsors of the Virtual Conference so far are: Applus+ IDIADA, Danisi Engineering, Rebel Dynamics, Saginomiya, Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, Cosin, Heeds, IMTEC Engineering, MegaRide, MSC Software, Multimatic, SimCoVR, 3D Mapping, Altair, Horiba Mira, Konrad Technologies, Screenline, Smart Eye.
“Particularly due to the great success of our previous conferences, we are very pleased to have found a way to produce the 12th edition of our International Conference despite the current emergency situation,” said Guido Bairati, Vice President Global Sales & Marketing, VI-grade. “Therefore, we are especially looking forward to giving our international community the opportunity to share their latest projects and advancements realized using our simulation solutions with an experienced audience.”
Everyone is invited to join the 2020 International VI-grade Virtual Conference by registering free-of-charge at the link https://conference.vi-grade.com.
VI-grade boosts product line with NVH Software and Simulators
Darmstadt (Germany), April 9th, 2020 – VI-grade today announced that it has expanded its product line with all NVH Simulation Software and NVH Driving Simulators from sister company Brüel & Kjær. Both companies belong to the same business platform – HBK "Hottinger, Brüel & Kjaer" – so are in an ideal position for this alliance. The move opens many opportunities to combine technologies from Brüel & Kjaer and VI-grade, in order to deliver unique, high-value solutions to the automotive market.
As a consequence of this, Brüel & Kjær’s DESKTOP NVH Simulator and FULL VEHICLE NVH Simulator today join VI-grade’s existing Driving Simulator product line, which already boasts the DESKTOP, COMPACT, STATIC and DYNAMIC Simulators (DiM series).
NVH simulator solutions are vital tools that help vehicle manufacturers to design and deliver exceptional sound and vibration experience for their customers. The NVH Simulator software enables designers to create and evaluate virtual NVH prototypes, saving them millions on every vehicle program and reducing development time.
“The NVH Simulator technology is a perfect fit with the VI-grade technology platform, since the purpose and use of the NVH Simulator parallels that of the other VI-grade technologies and simulators” said Dave Bogema, Product Manager - NVH Refinement, VI-grade. “Incorporating the NVH Simulator capabilities into the VI-grade portfolio will enable our customers to engineer multiple vehicle attributes with an integrated set of simulation tools and simulators. The use and experience of virtual prototypes encompassing NVH, vehicle dynamics, ride and comfort, ADAS, AV and HMI can now be realized in concert, greatly increasing development efficiency across all these attributes.”
“The addition of NVH Simulators into the VI-grade Driving Simulator product family allows us to provide customers with driving simulators for all different applications, ranging from Ride & Handling to NVH without neglecting the needs of people developing ADAS and AV and performing HMI studies” said Guido Bairati, VP of Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. ”Today we can proudly say that VI-grade provides reliable Driving Simulator solutions for the entire frequency range, helping customers bridge the gap between testing and simulation in an even more consistent way for all different disciplines -- all this in an integrated product line!"
NVH simulation enables managers and customers alike to 'drive' competing vehicles and previous models in highly realistic scenarios so engineers can quantify their hypotheses. When working with NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) in the development of a ground vehicle, it’s all about tuning the components of the vehicle to ensure it will have the desired sound (internally and externally) and vibration. The more accurate and early in the design phase these properties can be evaluated, the more value the tool will have, since it is more expensive to make modifications when the car is about to leave the assembly line.
About the NVH Simulator
NVH Simulator creates an interactive driving experience of a vehicle’s interior noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), bringing your sound and vibration data into the real world, so it can be experienced by real people. Highly accurate vehicle sound is played through headphones or speakers, allowing the driver to experience the sound quality of a vehicle throughout all of the dynamic aspects of driving, like changing gears and accelerating, on a smooth road or even bouncing across a field. This software is commonly paired with a steering wheel and pedals so that drivers can interact with NVH in driving scenarios. This immersive context for sound evaluations helps people understand NVH data, understand the effects of design changes on sound and vibration, select appropriate sounds and compare alternative designs – whether they are engineers or non-experts. NVH Simulation increases confidence in the decision-making process, whether evaluating virtual or physical prototype updates.
As a consequence of this, Brüel & Kjær’s DESKTOP NVH Simulator and FULL VEHICLE NVH Simulator today join VI-grade’s existing Driving Simulator product line, which already boasts the DESKTOP, COMPACT, STATIC and DYNAMIC Simulators (DiM series).
NVH simulator solutions are vital tools that help vehicle manufacturers to design and deliver exceptional sound and vibration experience for their customers. The NVH Simulator software enables designers to create and evaluate virtual NVH prototypes, saving them millions on every vehicle program and reducing development time.
“The NVH Simulator technology is a perfect fit with the VI-grade technology platform, since the purpose and use of the NVH Simulator parallels that of the other VI-grade technologies and simulators” said Dave Bogema, Product Manager - NVH Refinement, VI-grade. “Incorporating the NVH Simulator capabilities into the VI-grade portfolio will enable our customers to engineer multiple vehicle attributes with an integrated set of simulation tools and simulators. The use and experience of virtual prototypes encompassing NVH, vehicle dynamics, ride and comfort, ADAS, AV and HMI can now be realized in concert, greatly increasing development efficiency across all these attributes.”
“The addition of NVH Simulators into the VI-grade Driving Simulator product family allows us to provide customers with driving simulators for all different applications, ranging from Ride & Handling to NVH without neglecting the needs of people developing ADAS and AV and performing HMI studies” said Guido Bairati, VP of Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. ”Today we can proudly say that VI-grade provides reliable Driving Simulator solutions for the entire frequency range, helping customers bridge the gap between testing and simulation in an even more consistent way for all different disciplines -- all this in an integrated product line!"
NVH simulation enables managers and customers alike to 'drive' competing vehicles and previous models in highly realistic scenarios so engineers can quantify their hypotheses. When working with NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) in the development of a ground vehicle, it’s all about tuning the components of the vehicle to ensure it will have the desired sound (internally and externally) and vibration. The more accurate and early in the design phase these properties can be evaluated, the more value the tool will have, since it is more expensive to make modifications when the car is about to leave the assembly line.
About the NVH Simulator
NVH Simulator creates an interactive driving experience of a vehicle’s interior noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), bringing your sound and vibration data into the real world, so it can be experienced by real people. Highly accurate vehicle sound is played through headphones or speakers, allowing the driver to experience the sound quality of a vehicle throughout all of the dynamic aspects of driving, like changing gears and accelerating, on a smooth road or even bouncing across a field. This software is commonly paired with a steering wheel and pedals so that drivers can interact with NVH in driving scenarios. This immersive context for sound evaluations helps people understand NVH data, understand the effects of design changes on sound and vibration, select appropriate sounds and compare alternative designs – whether they are engineers or non-experts. NVH Simulation increases confidence in the decision-making process, whether evaluating virtual or physical prototype updates.
Pirelli further reduces tire development time thanks to brand-new VI-grade STATIC simulator
Milan, February 25, 2020 – VI-grade today announced the inauguration of the brand-new STATIC driving simulator featuring active technologies to precisely replicate vehicle and tire characteristics at Pirelli’s renowned research and development division in Milan, Italy. The state-of-the art driving simulator provided by VI-grade will be mainly utilized for the tire development for FIA Formula One World Championship, motorsport and road-going tires, reducing development cycles.
Compared to traditional development methods, the STATIC simulator allows a virtual model of any car – either supplied by the manufacturer or produced internally – to be quickly programmed into the system, while joint design and development work can also be carried out on the manufacturer’s own driving simulator. This means that tire development lead times remain perfectly in step with those of the cars that they are destined for, with more new models coming out more frequently these days. Furthermore, the use of the new driving simulator to maximize the virtual development phase means that the number of actual physical prototypes made is reduced, underpinning Pirelli’s sustainability approach.
Featuring a wrap-round 210-degrees panoramic screen, 7.5 meters in diameter, the simulation technology can visually reproduce a wide-range of different driving conditions, roads and circuits. At the heart of the systems is a static car equipped with various active technologies to exactly reproduce the sensations that any driver would feel in a real car. Equipped with a driver’s seat, steering wheel, seat belts, and different shaker systems, the simulator can precisely replicate the movements of the suspension and the engine.
With all virtual development processes already developed by Pirelli and thanks to the cutting-edge driving simulation technology, there is now a 30% reduction in average development time for new tires, thanks to faster assessment of virtual prototypes produced for different car models.
“We are delighted to report the adoption of our STATIC driving simulator at Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli,” said Alessio Lombardi, Sales Director, South Europe and UK, VI-grade. “This confirms the ongoing trend that sees international Tier1 suppliers implement our driving simulator solutions, with the aim of better collaborating with automotive OEMs”.
About the STATIC Simulator
The STATIC Simulator by VI-grade is VI-grade’s professional solution for immersive and realistic driving experience. The STATIC Simulator is based on the same VI-DriveSim software package used on Compact Simulators and DiM Dynamic Simulators from VI-grade. It is also fully compatible with third-party software solutions. This enables customers to leverage previous investments and use the same toolchain both on the static simulator and on a dynamic one. HMI, Ride&Handling, NVH and ADAS are some of the disciplines that can be investigated using a static simulator by VI-grade. Complementary technologies such as VI-BioTelemetry, VI-ActiveSeat and VI-ActiveBelts, are also compatible with the STATIC simulator. Thanks to the real-time hardware infrastructure, the Static Simulator is also suitable for software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop applications.
Compared to traditional development methods, the STATIC simulator allows a virtual model of any car – either supplied by the manufacturer or produced internally – to be quickly programmed into the system, while joint design and development work can also be carried out on the manufacturer’s own driving simulator. This means that tire development lead times remain perfectly in step with those of the cars that they are destined for, with more new models coming out more frequently these days. Furthermore, the use of the new driving simulator to maximize the virtual development phase means that the number of actual physical prototypes made is reduced, underpinning Pirelli’s sustainability approach.
Featuring a wrap-round 210-degrees panoramic screen, 7.5 meters in diameter, the simulation technology can visually reproduce a wide-range of different driving conditions, roads and circuits. At the heart of the systems is a static car equipped with various active technologies to exactly reproduce the sensations that any driver would feel in a real car. Equipped with a driver’s seat, steering wheel, seat belts, and different shaker systems, the simulator can precisely replicate the movements of the suspension and the engine.
With all virtual development processes already developed by Pirelli and thanks to the cutting-edge driving simulation technology, there is now a 30% reduction in average development time for new tires, thanks to faster assessment of virtual prototypes produced for different car models.
“We are delighted to report the adoption of our STATIC driving simulator at Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli,” said Alessio Lombardi, Sales Director, South Europe and UK, VI-grade. “This confirms the ongoing trend that sees international Tier1 suppliers implement our driving simulator solutions, with the aim of better collaborating with automotive OEMs”.
About the STATIC Simulator
The STATIC Simulator by VI-grade is VI-grade’s professional solution for immersive and realistic driving experience. The STATIC Simulator is based on the same VI-DriveSim software package used on Compact Simulators and DiM Dynamic Simulators from VI-grade. It is also fully compatible with third-party software solutions. This enables customers to leverage previous investments and use the same toolchain both on the static simulator and on a dynamic one. HMI, Ride&Handling, NVH and ADAS are some of the disciplines that can be investigated using a static simulator by VI-grade. Complementary technologies such as VI-BioTelemetry, VI-ActiveSeat and VI-ActiveBelts, are also compatible with the STATIC simulator. Thanks to the real-time hardware infrastructure, the Static Simulator is also suitable for software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop applications.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company adopts VI-grade Driving Simulators to increase innovation and gain competitive advantage
Darmstadt (Germany), January 16th, 2020 – VI-grade today announced that American multinational tire manufacturing company Goodyear will enhance its product development capabilities with the purchase of new VI-grade driving simulators including a dynamic model, a first for tire manufacturers. In detail, Goodyear has selected a COMPACT Simulator, that has already been delivered to the Goodyear site in Luxembourg, and a dynamic driving simulator DiM250 (Driver-in-Motion) that will be installed in Akron, Ohio, USA in the coming months. The driving simulators will be used for virtual development and tuning of dynamic performances of tires aided by the ability to simulate a range of driving conditions.
Tire companies are very much affected by the automotive industry trend towards virtualization of the development cycle. They are reacting to this trend by adopting new ways of developing tires, enabling OEMs to test new tires more effectively. Driving Simulators are the perfect solution for companies like Goodyear, because they allow to develop, test and validate tire models early in the development cycle, enabling to identify the best performing tires before building the first prototype. Driving Simulators give the possibility to cut development costs and to keep the pace with the automotive development process, providing tire models at the right time when requested by OEMs. By selecting VI-grade DiM250 and COMPACT Simulators, Goodyear gains the possibility of using the same tools used by most of its customers worldwide.
“This level of simulation sophistication will allow Goodyear to drive breakthroughs in future tire creation leading to an enhanced customer and driver experience,” said Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s senior vice president and chief technology officer. “I’m proud to say that Goodyear is leading the industry with VI-grade and our simulation solutions and we look forward to sharing that benefit with our customers.”
“We are delighted to report on the adoption of our driving simulators at Goodyear” said Guido Bairati, VP Global Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “Together with the driving simulators, Goodyear also ordered a dedicated training program aimed to coaching drivers and engineers in using our solutions prior to the delivery of the DiM250 simulator, in order to accelerate as much as possible the learning curve, ultimately increasing the ROI. As a part of this training program, a DESKTOP simulator will also be provided to Goodyear.”
To reproduce vehicle movements and accelerations, the DiM solution takes a different path to driving simulation and is based on a patented revolutionary design with nine actuators. The resulting configuration with its 9 degrees of freedom enables to go beyond the basic six-actuator design of a simple hexapod or similar, thus providing a larger workspace while maintaining a high stiffness. This leads to a system suitable for low as well as high frequencies, both of which occur in automotive chassis design. For this reason, DiM enables to investigate vehicle dynamics as well as ride and comfort on the same driving simulator.
Tire companies are very much affected by the automotive industry trend towards virtualization of the development cycle. They are reacting to this trend by adopting new ways of developing tires, enabling OEMs to test new tires more effectively. Driving Simulators are the perfect solution for companies like Goodyear, because they allow to develop, test and validate tire models early in the development cycle, enabling to identify the best performing tires before building the first prototype. Driving Simulators give the possibility to cut development costs and to keep the pace with the automotive development process, providing tire models at the right time when requested by OEMs. By selecting VI-grade DiM250 and COMPACT Simulators, Goodyear gains the possibility of using the same tools used by most of its customers worldwide.
“This level of simulation sophistication will allow Goodyear to drive breakthroughs in future tire creation leading to an enhanced customer and driver experience,” said Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s senior vice president and chief technology officer. “I’m proud to say that Goodyear is leading the industry with VI-grade and our simulation solutions and we look forward to sharing that benefit with our customers.”
“We are delighted to report on the adoption of our driving simulators at Goodyear” said Guido Bairati, VP Global Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “Together with the driving simulators, Goodyear also ordered a dedicated training program aimed to coaching drivers and engineers in using our solutions prior to the delivery of the DiM250 simulator, in order to accelerate as much as possible the learning curve, ultimately increasing the ROI. As a part of this training program, a DESKTOP simulator will also be provided to Goodyear.”
To reproduce vehicle movements and accelerations, the DiM solution takes a different path to driving simulation and is based on a patented revolutionary design with nine actuators. The resulting configuration with its 9 degrees of freedom enables to go beyond the basic six-actuator design of a simple hexapod or similar, thus providing a larger workspace while maintaining a high stiffness. This leads to a system suitable for low as well as high frequencies, both of which occur in automotive chassis design. For this reason, DiM enables to investigate vehicle dynamics as well as ride and comfort on the same driving simulator.
Maserati hosts winners of 2019 VI-grade’s Virtual Formula Initiative at recently opened INNOVATION LAB in Modena, Italy
Modena, December 18, 2019 - Hard work and brilliant ideas should be rewarded – therefore the two winning Virtual Formula teams, Dynamis PRC from Politecnico di Milano and Cal Poly Racing from California Polytechnic State University had the unique chance to visit the recently opened INNOVATION LAB at the Maserati site in Modena and to experience the cutting-edge VI-grade driving simulators live and in action.
Only recently, the Italian premium car manufacturer and long-time customer of VI-grade opened its doors to this usually off-limits location and granted an exclusive insight into the heart of the brand’s driving research technology and development work. Exploiting the full innovation potential, the state-of-the-art facility features the STATIC Simulator as well as the latest generation of the revolutionary DYNAMIC Driving Simulator DiM250, all provided by VI-grade. It’s a place that is bursting with innovation and progress – and that’s exactly what the winners of the 2019 edition of VI-grade’s Virtual Formula were able to experience for one day.
Maserati strongly believes in the collaboration with universities, in fact its environment is comprised of a very young and dynamic workforce of an average age of around 37 years, where almost half of the employees are under 35 and 20% are under 30, and attracts top graduates from the best Italian universities. The company's Innovation Lab is home to simulators capable of reproducing six months' worth of wear and tear in two weeks, thus saving time and money in the development process.
“We are honored to represent the North American territory participating to the private viewing of this very fascinating Innovation Lab that Maserati has founded: for us, having the opportunity to come to Italy and witness the real-world applications of this simulation, which is the next level of what we do with Virtual Formula and our Formula Student teams, is priceless. It’s amazing to perceive the relationship between VI-grade and Maserati and how close they work together to create the best cars” – said Noah Wheeler and Carl Stoye, Cal Poly Racing, winner of the 2019 edition of the Virtual Formula, Electric Drivetrain Category.
“We’d like to thank Maserati and VI-grade for giving us the chance of learning how a development team of first-class cars operates in its everyday activities. Particularly interesting for us was the opportunity of seeing how a company like Maserati uses for commercial purposes, in conjunction with a sophisticated machine like the DiM250 Dynamic Driving Simulator, the same software that we also utilize to develop our Formula Student car” added Marco Antognoli and Mattia Vicari, Dynamis PRC, winner of the 2019 edition of the Virtual Formula, Internal Combustion Category.
“Fortunately, the Maserati Innovation Lab will also collaborate with VI-grade for the upcoming 2020 Virtual Formula season and open its doors again, granting the students an exclusive insight behind the scenes” said Alessio Lombardi, South Europe & UK Sales Director, VI-grade. “Once more, the winners will have the unique opportunity to test the advanced driving simulators used by many OEMs, suppliers and motorsport teams to develop and fine tune their cars, but also to gain relevant experience and knowledge for further races carried out by FSAE. This initiative, jointly organized by us and Maserati, is further proof of how important it is to promote innovation at an early stage and to bridge the gap between universities and the automotive industry.”
About the Maserati Innovation Lab
The Maserati Innovation Lab is a state-of-the-art facility where the cars of today and tomorrow are developed. Here, the digital processes support the product development, applying the exclusive Maserati formula which, by means of an integrated approach, prioritizes the human factor right from the initial phases. Concern with customer needs has been scrupulously incorporated into the virtual simulation process thanks to an exclusive mix of hardware and software. The digital processes supporting product development take place in three major areas: the STATIC Simulator, the latest generation Dynamic Simulator featuring DiM (Driver-in-Motion) technology and the “User eXperience” development labs. By applying these advanced driving simulation solutions right from the starting point of the engineering process, it is possible to achieve a 50% reduction in time-to-market for new cars, to carry out 90% of all development on the simulator and to reduce 40 % the use of physical prototypes. At the same time Maserati is able to strengthen its driver centric strategy during virtual development by combining the Hardware in the Loop (HiL) methodology and the simulators.
About Virtual Formula
VI-grade organizes on a regular basis the Virtual Formula, a competition based upon the rules and regulations of the popular Formula SAE and Formula Student. Based on the usage of VI-Motorsport, VI-grade’s interactive simulation environment for motorsport vehicle modeling and dynamic analysis, Virtual Formula, now at its 11th edition with more than 1000 Formula Student participating teams since its foundation back in 2009, requests all registered teams to use our state-of-the-art racing simulation software to find the best set-up for their car. The participants will then have the chance not only to learn more about vehicle dynamics software, but also to join the VI-grade network of vehicle specialists and software developers. The two winning teams in the internal combustions and electric vehicle category will not only receive unlimited access to the vehicle dynamics software but also the invitation to the annual VI-grade International Conference and the opportunity to visit the Maserati Innovation Lab in Modena, Italy.
Only recently, the Italian premium car manufacturer and long-time customer of VI-grade opened its doors to this usually off-limits location and granted an exclusive insight into the heart of the brand’s driving research technology and development work. Exploiting the full innovation potential, the state-of-the-art facility features the STATIC Simulator as well as the latest generation of the revolutionary DYNAMIC Driving Simulator DiM250, all provided by VI-grade. It’s a place that is bursting with innovation and progress – and that’s exactly what the winners of the 2019 edition of VI-grade’s Virtual Formula were able to experience for one day.
Maserati strongly believes in the collaboration with universities, in fact its environment is comprised of a very young and dynamic workforce of an average age of around 37 years, where almost half of the employees are under 35 and 20% are under 30, and attracts top graduates from the best Italian universities. The company's Innovation Lab is home to simulators capable of reproducing six months' worth of wear and tear in two weeks, thus saving time and money in the development process.
“We are honored to represent the North American territory participating to the private viewing of this very fascinating Innovation Lab that Maserati has founded: for us, having the opportunity to come to Italy and witness the real-world applications of this simulation, which is the next level of what we do with Virtual Formula and our Formula Student teams, is priceless. It’s amazing to perceive the relationship between VI-grade and Maserati and how close they work together to create the best cars” – said Noah Wheeler and Carl Stoye, Cal Poly Racing, winner of the 2019 edition of the Virtual Formula, Electric Drivetrain Category.
“We’d like to thank Maserati and VI-grade for giving us the chance of learning how a development team of first-class cars operates in its everyday activities. Particularly interesting for us was the opportunity of seeing how a company like Maserati uses for commercial purposes, in conjunction with a sophisticated machine like the DiM250 Dynamic Driving Simulator, the same software that we also utilize to develop our Formula Student car” added Marco Antognoli and Mattia Vicari, Dynamis PRC, winner of the 2019 edition of the Virtual Formula, Internal Combustion Category.
“Fortunately, the Maserati Innovation Lab will also collaborate with VI-grade for the upcoming 2020 Virtual Formula season and open its doors again, granting the students an exclusive insight behind the scenes” said Alessio Lombardi, South Europe & UK Sales Director, VI-grade. “Once more, the winners will have the unique opportunity to test the advanced driving simulators used by many OEMs, suppliers and motorsport teams to develop and fine tune their cars, but also to gain relevant experience and knowledge for further races carried out by FSAE. This initiative, jointly organized by us and Maserati, is further proof of how important it is to promote innovation at an early stage and to bridge the gap between universities and the automotive industry.”
About the Maserati Innovation Lab
The Maserati Innovation Lab is a state-of-the-art facility where the cars of today and tomorrow are developed. Here, the digital processes support the product development, applying the exclusive Maserati formula which, by means of an integrated approach, prioritizes the human factor right from the initial phases. Concern with customer needs has been scrupulously incorporated into the virtual simulation process thanks to an exclusive mix of hardware and software. The digital processes supporting product development take place in three major areas: the STATIC Simulator, the latest generation Dynamic Simulator featuring DiM (Driver-in-Motion) technology and the “User eXperience” development labs. By applying these advanced driving simulation solutions right from the starting point of the engineering process, it is possible to achieve a 50% reduction in time-to-market for new cars, to carry out 90% of all development on the simulator and to reduce 40 % the use of physical prototypes. At the same time Maserati is able to strengthen its driver centric strategy during virtual development by combining the Hardware in the Loop (HiL) methodology and the simulators.
About Virtual Formula
VI-grade organizes on a regular basis the Virtual Formula, a competition based upon the rules and regulations of the popular Formula SAE and Formula Student. Based on the usage of VI-Motorsport, VI-grade’s interactive simulation environment for motorsport vehicle modeling and dynamic analysis, Virtual Formula, now at its 11th edition with more than 1000 Formula Student participating teams since its foundation back in 2009, requests all registered teams to use our state-of-the-art racing simulation software to find the best set-up for their car. The participants will then have the chance not only to learn more about vehicle dynamics software, but also to join the VI-grade network of vehicle specialists and software developers. The two winning teams in the internal combustions and electric vehicle category will not only receive unlimited access to the vehicle dynamics software but also the invitation to the annual VI-grade International Conference and the opportunity to visit the Maserati Innovation Lab in Modena, Italy.
VI-grade Announces 2020 Edition of its International Conference
Darmstadt, December 5, 2019 – VI-grade today announced the 2020 edition of its International Conference.
The event, dedicated to executive managers and experienced engineers belonging to automotive and transportation companies, tier1 suppliers, motorsport teams, universities and research centers from all over the world, will be held on May 13th-14th, 2020 at the HOTEL ME SITGES TERRAMAR, located in the city of Sitges, Spain (in the outskirts of Barcelona).
The conference will give the VI-grade international community of users, partners and prospective customers the opportunity to learn more about how the main players of the worldwide automotive industry currently use simulation and driving simulators to accelerate the development of new vehicles. Once again, particular attention will be given to VI-grade’s current solutions and development plans for real-time simulation, HIL, SIL, traffic simulation and ADAS, autonomous driving, vehicle energy efficiency and tire modeling. The event will offer keynote and technical papers, panel discussions and workshops as well as an interesting technical showcase area in which VI-grade and its partners will present their solutions.
The 2020 International Conference will also feature an Ice Breaker social event in the afternoon of May 12th, when all registered attendees will be invited to an informal get-together at the Applus+ IDIADA premises in Santa Oliva to learn more about how the combined use of state-of-the-art driving simulator technology and fully equipped proving ground facilities can efficiently bridge the gap between testing and simulation, with particular reference to vehicle dynamics, ride and comfort, ADAS/AV, HMI and motorsport applications.
“Building on the success of the previous events, we are extremely happy to announce the 2020 edition of our International Conference, confirming our intent to organize one major event per year for our community of users,” said Guido Bairati, Vice President Global Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “We are looking forward to giving our international community an opportunity to share the latest projects and advancements realized using our simulation solutions with an experienced audience.”
Abstracts showcasing state-of-the-art applications of VI-grade products and solutions in the automotive and transportation industries can be submitted until January 31st, 2020.
Additional details on the conference program and the workshops will be progressively published under the link conference.vi-grade.com.
The event, dedicated to executive managers and experienced engineers belonging to automotive and transportation companies, tier1 suppliers, motorsport teams, universities and research centers from all over the world, will be held on May 13th-14th, 2020 at the HOTEL ME SITGES TERRAMAR, located in the city of Sitges, Spain (in the outskirts of Barcelona).
The conference will give the VI-grade international community of users, partners and prospective customers the opportunity to learn more about how the main players of the worldwide automotive industry currently use simulation and driving simulators to accelerate the development of new vehicles. Once again, particular attention will be given to VI-grade’s current solutions and development plans for real-time simulation, HIL, SIL, traffic simulation and ADAS, autonomous driving, vehicle energy efficiency and tire modeling. The event will offer keynote and technical papers, panel discussions and workshops as well as an interesting technical showcase area in which VI-grade and its partners will present their solutions.
The 2020 International Conference will also feature an Ice Breaker social event in the afternoon of May 12th, when all registered attendees will be invited to an informal get-together at the Applus+ IDIADA premises in Santa Oliva to learn more about how the combined use of state-of-the-art driving simulator technology and fully equipped proving ground facilities can efficiently bridge the gap between testing and simulation, with particular reference to vehicle dynamics, ride and comfort, ADAS/AV, HMI and motorsport applications.
“Building on the success of the previous events, we are extremely happy to announce the 2020 edition of our International Conference, confirming our intent to organize one major event per year for our community of users,” said Guido Bairati, Vice President Global Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “We are looking forward to giving our international community an opportunity to share the latest projects and advancements realized using our simulation solutions with an experienced audience.”
Abstracts showcasing state-of-the-art applications of VI-grade products and solutions in the automotive and transportation industries can be submitted until January 31st, 2020.
Additional details on the conference program and the workshops will be progressively published under the link conference.vi-grade.com.