Darmstadt (Germany), October 20th, 2021 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced their participation in the 2021 Automotive Testing Expo Conference and Exhibition (ATE) in Novi, Michigan, taking place October 26-28, 2021. VI-grade is joining forces in Novi with its partner and the leading global provider of high-performance real-time computer systems, Concurrent Real-Time. The two companies, part of HBK’s Virtual Test Division, will showcase their combined set of real-time software, simulator, and Hardware-in-the-Loop solutions that virtually test products throughout the development cycle, thereby helping companies accelerate innovation and reduce time-to-market.

VI-grade’s scalable and upgradeable driving simulator product line has for several years relied on Concurrent Real-Time’s computation solutions to deliver hard real-time performance for the most sophisticated Hardware-in-the-Loop and Driver-in-the-Loop simulation. The innovative off-line and real-time simulation solutions from VI-grade and Concurrent Real-Time featured at ATE Novi are designed to help customers accelerate innovation, reduce time-to-market and improve their competitive advantage in a sustainable way.

“Customers need to reduce the number of physical prototypes and time-to-market while increasing innovation. Simulators are a great platform to employ to develop innovative vehicles in a faster and safer way” said Guido Bairati, VP of Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “VI-grade’s driving simulators, powered by Concurrent Real-Time’s hard real-time technology, constitute a comprehensive set of Hardware-in-the-Loop testing solutions that let automotive components be tested under real-life conditions as if they were in a real prototype.  Our customers are already using precisely this technology to test real steering, braking, cameras and other hardware components in-the-loop with the help of a driving simulator.”

The driving simulator featured at the shared booth will demonstrate the advantages of VI-grade’s VI-Certified program. This program ensures the seamless operation of not only VI-grade software solutions, but also ensures that all major 3rd party applications work natively on VI-grade driving simulators. This seamless and native operation translates into saved time and money for customers during deployment. The booth simulator will also incorporate a Hardware-in-the-Loop setup with FPGA I/O connecting the simulated vehicle model to an ECU. 

Also showcased will be the RedHawk KVM-RT solution, which provides guaranteed real-time performance in virtual machines with RedHawk Linux as the host operating system. The demo features a powerful 24-core AMD system with VI-grade’s VI-CarRealTime and VI-WorldSim delivers the computational prowess, I/O bandwidth, and fast response times in a unique, single system solution. 

VI-grade’s and Concurrent Real-Time’s combined Hardware-in-the-Loop and Driver-in-the-Loop Solutions can be experienced live and in action at booth #6001 at the 2021 Automotive Testing Expo Conference and Exhibition in Novi, Michigan taking place October 26-28, 2021.

Darmstadt, October 13th, 2021 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing,  today announced that long-term customer and partner Applus+ IDIADA has expanded its virtual development services in China with a new VI-grade DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator. The Driving Simulator has been installed at the IDIADA Proving Ground in Zhaoyuan, China and is already fully operative. 

This state-of-the-art facility is capable of generating longitudinal, lateral and rotational acceleration forces of up to 2.5 g. It features extremely low latency and high frequency and enables the simulation of a wide range of vehicle dynamic maneuvers and complex driving situations.

The new DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator opens up unique virtual testing possibilities for IDIADA’s engineering teams in areas such as chassis development, vehicle dynamics, ADAS, autonomous driving and Human Factor applications at a very early stage of the vehicle development process. By exploiting the synergies between physical and virtual testing, it will be possible to generate and correlate models in an optimal context with the ability to use IDIADA’s tracks, available as road data files and high-resolution graphics.  

 “We have been contributing to the development of new mobility solutions with our continuous innovation and state-of-art technologies.”, commented Alexandre Català, Managing Director of IDIADA China. “The availability of optimum Driver-in-the-loop solutions allows us to combine them with our proving ground, providing unique development methods that minimize the use of prototypes, thus, reducing the critical development path and overall costs.”

In reference to the advantages for clients regarding the fact of having a new Driving Simulator as part of IDIADA China’s facilities, Català states that “our expertise in building complex and realistic vehicle models, the virtual representation of IDIADA test tracks and the performance of the DiM250 offers a unique solution for advanced vehicle development now in the Chinese market.”

“For years now, VI-grade has helped our customers in the automotive industry bridge the gap between testing and simulation with the introduction of driving simulators to the development cycle.”, declared Guido Bairati, Vice President for Sales & Marketing at VI-grade. “By installing our industry-leading simulator technology at a world-renowned proving ground, IDIADA has successfully shown that employing driving simulators in the development cycle improves product quality and reduces overall development time.”

Darmstadt, October 7^th, 2021 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced the 2022 edition of the Virtual Formula competition, which for the first time ever will exclusively employ the use of driving simulators.

Formula SAE and Formula Student teams have until October 31^st, 2021 to register for the competition, a free-of-charge event which gives them access to VI-Motorsport, VI-grade’s state-of-the-art motorsport simulation software. Teams also will receive a DESKTOP Simulator software license including VI-DriveSim and VI-GraphSim. Using VI-grade’s cutting edge simulator software tools, all teams will be required to create a digital twin of their car and to optimize its performance, in preparation for the actual competition on the driving simulator. VI-grade will provide teams with a set of predefined offline maneuvers that can be used to test the vehicle model with the help of the VI-Motorsport software.

The teams will be then invited to compete in an online race using their simulators, driving their previously optimized cars on a digitized version of a racetrack. The team scoring the best lap time will win the competition and be awarded with the industry-leading Fanatec hardware and VI-grade software required to upgrade the team’s Windows PC to a fully functional VI-grade DESKTOP Simulator. The winner will also receive a free-of-charge one-day session at one of VI-grade’s global SimCenters.

“Launching the 2022 edition of the Virtual Formula earlier than in previous years better aligns the competition with the schedules of Formula SAE and Formula Student.”, said Guido Bairati, VP Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “This regulatory change allows the participating teams to virtually optimize their vehicles with the help of VI-Motorsport and their driving simulators. And, like OEMs and professional Motorsport Teams, they can leverage the obtained results to better perform in the real races.”

To fully support the wide range of vehicle configurations, this year’s competition will once again feature two different categories: one reserved for combustion engines, and one dedicated to electric drivetrains. VI-grade will again host a series of webinars and Q&A sessions to introduce all participating teams via dedicated software training sessions to the real-life automotive industry workflows and challenges in vehicle development.

Additional information, registration form, technical specifications and requirements and detailed schedule of the competition are available here.
 

Darmstadt (Germany), September 7^th, 2021 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced the launch of its new COMPACT NVH Simulator at the SAE Noise and Vibration Conference & Exhibition in Grand Rapids, Michigan taking place September 7-9, 2021. The new COMPACT NVH Simulator addresses what had been until now the unmet need of development engineers at both OEMs and suppliers to fully and accurately experience vibration at all driver touch points, along with noise, but in a small footprint.   

Coupled with the NVH Simulator software, the COMPACT NVH Simulator brings NVH virtual prototypes to life, making it easy to understand and evaluate NVH data and make decisions on NVH designs and content​.  Not only does the new COMPACT NVH Simulator combine the desktop size and proximity for ease of use and access with the full static vibration capabilities of the STATIC NVH Simulator, it does all of this at a lower price point, making it much more affordable than a full-scale simulator.  And, thanks to its small footprint, it can be easily accommodated in the engineering office.

“To achieve an exceptionally stiff structure capable of delivering controlled, accurate vibrations to the evaluator, we have decided to make extensive usage of carbon fiber in our COMPACT NVH Simulator. Both the frame and the steering wheel are made of carbon fiber, ensuring that no vibration modes affect the response, allowing for accurate vibration experience.” said Dave Bogema, Director of NVH Solutions, VI-grade. “Multiple electrodynamic shakers are used in the design to provide high vibration levels over a wide frequency range. An integrated touchscreen interface allows evaluators to easily control the simulator and provide feedback on the vehicles they are experiencing”.

“Our brand new COMPACT NVH Simulator can be applied to numerous areas, providing realistic evaluation of road noise and vibration on various surfaces, road impacts, powertrain NVH phenomena like cylinder deactivation, engine start/stop, idle, lugging boom, and many others”, said Guido Bairati, Vice President Global Sales & Marketing, VI-grade. “The COMPACT NVH Simulator provides automakers and suppliers with the means to experience the NVH characteristics of vehicles and the impact of various systems and components long before prototypes are available. We are confident that our global customers will greatly appreciate and take advantage of this technology.”

The COMPACT NVH Simulator can be experienced live and in action at the VI-grade booth (#310) at the SAE Noise and Vibration Conference & Exhibition in Grand Rapids, Michigan, taking place Sept. 7-10.

Anyone who cannot experience the COMPACT NVH Simulator live and in action at our booth is invited to join us for our virtual launch event on September 23rd, 2021 @ 10am EDT | 4pm CEST to discover more about this new Driving Simulator. Registration free-of-charge at this link.
 

Darmstadt (Germany), Jul 14th, 2021 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced driving simulator product line extensions that allow customers to flexibly configure and upgrade their simulators over time.
 
Previously, customers needed to decide up-front exactly what capabilities and performance they expected to need in their driving simulator and budget accordingly.  Now, VI-grade is introducing the ability to start with a full cockpit static simulator and upgrade as needed.  To facilitate upgrades, the Company has introduced a hexapod-only motion platform, the DiM50, that is fully consistent with the upper stage of the existing DiM150 and DiM250 simulators. 

The DiM50 simulator is an entry-level dynamic simulation solution for those needing to perform ride and ADAS simulation, as well as basic handling maneuvers and provides a higher degree of realism with respect to a STATIC Simulator at an attractive price point. Sharing the same industry-leading hexapod architecture already featured in VI-grade’s popular DYNAMIC Driving Simulator models DiM150 and DiM250, the DiM50 represents a natural evolution of VI-grade’s STATIC Simulator technology and can be further upgraded to a 9 degrees of freedom DiM150 or DiM250 model through the addition of a baseframe and three planar motion actuators. DiM50 features a wide array of automotive applications ranging from ride & comfort, basic vehicle dynamics and control system design, up to HMI/ADAS applications and driver training in motorsports.

DiM50 joins the extensive line fully scalable, configurable, and upgradeable driving simulators from VI-grade, which span from desk-size simulators up to full-scale dynamic simulators. As with all VI-grade driving simulators, the DiM50 incorporates a wide array of features, including:

• VI-grade’s software stack
• proven motion platform
• active components (seats, belts, brakes, …)
• hard-real-time computing platform
• customizable cockpits
• HiL-ready architecture

The DiM50 also provides unparalleled flexibility by supporting 3rd party software components through VI-grade’s open environment in line with the VI-Certified program.

“We are very excited to address an unmet market need with a new driving simulator that further expands our existing product line” said Diego Minen, Chief Technology Officer, VI-grade. “DiM50 leverages the same, proven hexapod technology already featured in our widely used DiM150 and DiM250 and lets users perform ride analysis, ADAS testing and vehicle dynamics simulation with greater and enhanced realism compared to a STATIC Simulator.”

“Today’s DiM50 announcement offers our clients and the market an unprecedented opportunity to purchase a dynamic simulator with a superior degree of realism combined with a low price point. But what makes the DiM50 stand out is that it enables to preserve its investment by providing a potential upgrade path to DiM150 and DiM250.” added Guido Bairati, VP Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “We believe that DiM50 presents the ideal solution in terms of compromise between performance and investment which lends itself well to universities, research centers, suppliers and motorsport teams as well as automotive OEMs that already invested in bigger simulators.”

Shanghai, China, June 16, 2021 – VI-grade today announced that major Chinese automotive manufacturing company FAW (First Automobile Works) invested in a VI-grade DESKTOP Simulator, to improve digital chassis R&D capabilities of luxury car brand Hongqi and shorten their development cycle. 

By means of the new DESKTOP Simulator, to be installed at the company’s headquarters in Changchun, Jilin, China, FAW engineers expect to further shorten their development cycles focusing on virtual objective chassis evaluation, chassis electronic control algorithm performance and tire dynamics testing and verification as early as possible. At the same time, since the DESKTOP Simulator relies on the same tool chain as the STATIC and DYNAMIC DiM Driving Simulator, it also represents an optimal technical reserve for the application of a more advanced simulator later on.

“In the trend of the new four modernizations in the automotive industry, the driving simulator technology is continuously gaining importance. All the new technical concepts, such as Digital twin, Agile development and User Experience-driven Innovation, are also driving virtual development technologies like driving simulators forward. FAW Group has been intensively involved in the field of vehicle and tire dynamics for many years and has extensive chassis testing and accurate modeling capabilities. Driving simulator technology research also has been going on for ten years.” said Lun Li, Manager FAW NBD Chassis Testing Development at FAW Hongqi. “In the end, we chose VI-grade. The most important thing is its solutions and the communication platform of users around the world. FAW Hongqi hopes that in the future, with VI-grade and their partners, the chassis performance can be greatly improved, the development cycle can be shortened, and our users’ expectations can be fully met."

“We are very excited to report the adoption of our VI-grade DESKTOP Simulator at Hongqi”, said Richard Liu, China Country Manager at VI-grade. “The DESKTOP Simulator is the ideal tool for Hongqi to quickly verify the performance of the electronic control technology and chassis electronic control algorithm. We are looking forward to further expanding our cooperation with Hongqi and the entire FAW Group.”

Darmstadt (Germany), Jun 29th, 2021 – VI-grade, a leading provider of best-in-class driving simulation solutions, today announced the completion of the installation and commissioning of the DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator at CEVT, Geely Holding Group’s Sweden-based innovation center for future mobility solutions. The driving simulator has been installed at Geely’s recently expanded campus in Gothenburg, Uni3 by Geely, significantly enhancing on-site research and development capabilities.  



CEVT selected the complete turn-key solution from VI-grade, with the DiM250 simulator serving as the foundation combined with the VI-DriveSim software suite and the complete active technology offering (belts, seat, brake and shakers). This allows driving dynamics and active safety systems to be experienced in an even more realistic environment right from the start of the development process. The driving simulator will be used primarily for Vehicle Dynamics, Ride & Comfort as well as ADAS applications in the development of new vehicles, with particular reference to the development of future mobility solutions.

“The automotive industry is undergoing a transformation from the old ways of the car to the new future of mobility, where the experience of the customer is at heart and where we provide a service that is highly valuable. At CEVT, we have the vision and ambition as well as the experience to do this and with the simulator we have enhanced our skillset to further drive this change”, said Mats Fägerhag CEO at CEVT.

“We have now had our first-hand experience of operating and using a full scale, advanced driving simulator and we are impressed with the capabilities that the DiM250 gives. Not only can we quickly test a lot of ideas that would be expensive, time consuming or too complex to perform in real life but we’re also noticing how well the simulator pushes the collaboration and aspirations of the different teams across CEVT. We are shaping the way of mobility going forwards and the simulator is a crucial tool for that purpose, creating value for our customers in the end”, said Albin Gröndahl, CAE Engineer and Project Manager for the Driving Simulator at CEVT. 



“We are very happy to announce the completed installation and commissioning of our DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator at CEVT” said Guido Bairati, VP Global Sales and Marketing, VI-grade. “The DiM250 represents a significant expansion of CEVT's capacity to develop mobility solutions and it is, after the one at Volvo, the second DiM simulator installed in the Gothenburg area belonging to the Geely group. Driving Simulators are becoming an important development tool that increase collaboration between OEMs and suppliers, while decreasing physical testing and furthering innovation.”

To reproduce vehicle movements and accelerations, the DiM solution takes a different path to driving simulation based on a patented revolutionary design with nine actuators. The resulting configuration with its 9 degrees of freedom enables it to go beyond the basic six-actuator design of a hexapod or similar, thus providing a larger workspace while maintaining a high stiffness and low latency. 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 both vehicle dynamics investigation and ride and comfort on the same driving simulator. 

Darmstadt, May 27, 2021 - VI-grade, a leading provider of best-in-class software products and services for advanced applications in the field of system level simulation, announced today that over 2,000 attendees registered to the virtual ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, held May 20-21, 2021. This represents a significant increase from 2020’s virtual event. 100% of attendees surveyed after the summit indicated their intent to attend VI-grade’s 2022 event, thereby offering a ringing endorsement of the valuable insights and information provided by the ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit.

The video presentations of the 2021 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit are accessible on demand until June 18th at https://vi-grade.vfairs.com/.

Targeted at innovators in the global automotive industry, the free-of-charge 2-day Summit provided VI-grade customers and technology partners with a high caliber forum showcasing how leading automotive companies employ VI-grade’s software and simulation solutions to solve complex product development challenges. Keynote speakers on Day 1 included Audi Sport, NIO, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Stellantis, and Multimatic. VI-grade customer presentations from CEVT, Mercedes-AMG, Bentley and Politecnico di Milano addressed use cases in Powertrain, Vehicle Dynamics, NVH and HMI disciplines.

Held virtually again this year due to the covid-19 pandemic, the ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit was carefully designed and programmed to give all participants – presenters, sponsors, and users – ample opportunities for learning about and sharing new technologies, as well as networking. 

The ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit was also a platform for announcements pertaining to VI-grade’s product development achievements and acquisitions:

Increasing accessibility of VI-grade’s technology through a global network of SimCenters where customers can rent VI-grade driving simulators. Located in Udine, Italy; Millbrook, UK; Detroit, MI; and Tokyo, Japan. Joining those ranks in 2021 will be VI-grade’s first SimCenter in China in conjunction with partner, Idiada. It will be located at the LingLong Tire proving ground in Yantai, Shandong province.

Product innovations & enhancements including:

• a revolutionary extension of VI-grade’s simulator product line based on cable-driven technology
• new features in VI-WorldSim, the revolutionary simulation software product allowing simulating ADAS and autonomous vehicles 
• VI-Certified, a program that expands the ecosystem of complementary products and services that work together with our simulators 
• high-fidelity NVH reproduction capabilities on the new COMPACT NVH Simulator

VI-grade’s efforts in terms of acquisitions: Pending regulatory approval, VI-grade’s parent company, Spectris, recently announced the acquisition of Concurrent Real-Time, the real-time platform provider for VI-grade technology for many years.  This comes on the heels of acquisitions in 2019 of Righthook and in 2020 of the NVH simulator team from Brüel & Kjær and the acquisition of Imtec, a leader in mechatronics and automation.

“We were delighted to welcome so many attendees to the ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit this year” said VI-grade President, Bob Ryan. “The sheer number of registrations for the Summit is a clear indication that the automotive industry sees enormous value in the use of VI-grade’s driver-in-the-loop vehicle simulators for accelerating the development process and was eager to learn more about our future product development roadmap and acquisition plans,” he continued.