New this year is a special focus on tire modeling and simulation. Tire modeling is a complex and challenging, yet nonetheless essential, task for vehicle developers. By accurately modeling the tire's behavior, vehicle developers can improve the safety, performance, and efficiency of their vehicles. Acknowledging this critical need, this year’s ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit program will culminate in a live, expert panel discussion on "Tire Modeling for the Virtual World" moderated by Mike Stackpole, President of Stackpole Engineering Services. The session brings together experts from leading tire model suppliers including Calspan, cosin scientific software, Fraunhofer ITWM and MegaRide to explore the future of tire design and the seamless integration of tire models into VI-grade’s solutions and driving simulators.

The technical agenda comprises a selection of over 16 high-level keynote and technical presentations where attendees will hear first-hand from simulation thought leaders in the global automotive industry. These industry leaders will demonstrate how they employ VI-grade’s simulation, driving simulators and Hardware-in-the-Loop technologies to accelerate new vehicle development and get ever closer to the “zero prototypes” vision. 

Attendees will come away with valuable insights from a diverse range of organizations, including Applus+ IDIADA, BASF, CEVT, Eastern Michigan University, General Motors, HBK SVES, Hitachi Astemo Americas, Mcity (University of Michigan – College of Engineering), Multimatic, Stellantis, VI-grade and many more. 

The full conference agenda, including logistics details, is now available for download at https://www2.news.vi-grade.com/NA_ZPS_2023_Official_Program. 

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH VI-GRADE’S FULL RANGE OF SIMULATION, DRIVING SIMULATOR AND HIL SOLUTIONS

As a complement to the insightful technical presentations by leading industry players, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a series of driving simulator sessions tailored to specific automotive applications. In this way attendees can experience for themselves the value VI-grade’s driving simulators bring to the development process.

 The following demo sessions will be available for attendees to explore: 

• Test Drive the brand-new Full-Spectrum (FSS) Simulator for Ride Comfort Studies
• Experience Mixed-Reality on a DESKTOP Simulator
• Conduct HMI and Driving Monitoring Studies on a STATIC Simulator
• Evaluate NVH performance on a DESKTOP NVH and COMPACT NVH Simulator
• See the large DYNAMIC DiM250 Simulator in action for motorsports applications
• Build, tune and validate real-time vehicle models and ADAS scenarios and sensors with VI-CarRealTime and VI-WorldSim
• Test integrated HiL systems with AutoHawk

All registered attendees will receive a link to the online demo booking application shortly before the event. Demo bookings can also be made on-site during the event.

NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES FOR NETWORKING & SOCIALIZING

VI-grade's objective with the ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits extends beyond delivering an exceptional and highly relevant technical program. The company is equally committed to promoting extensive networking opportunities within the industry and connecting users of its technology with one another. 

While the afternoon will be dedicated to customer presentations, participants will have the opportunity to network during the demo sessions in the morning and trade notes on their experiences on the various simulators. 

The one-day event wraps up with an evening reception and informal dinner in a relaxed atmosphere, starting at 6 p.m. Attendees can socialize and discuss both the latest trends in driving simulation and their own progress towards the “Zero Prototypes” vision.

VI-grade would like to acknowledge and thank the following industry partners for their support and sponsorship of the 2023 North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit: 

• DIAMOND: Multimatic
• PLATINUM: Applus+ IDIADA, SAGInoMIYA
• GOLD: Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, cosin scientific software, HBK, Imtec Engineering, MegaRide, Stackpole Engineering
• SILVER: 3D Mapping Solutions, Smart Eye
• VI-CERTIFIED: Hexagon

“As we approach the 2023 North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, I am thrilled to see the overwhelming interest and engagement from our community. With over 130 registrations and a packed agenda featuring industry leaders, interactive demos, and insightful discussions, this event is set to be another milestone in our journey towards the 'Zero Prototypes' vision”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “I’m especially excited about the “Tire Modeling for the Virtual World’ panel to address this complex yet critical topic. We look forward to bringing together the innovators and key players of the global automotive industry to learn how they are currently using simulation and driving simulators to accelerate the development of new vehicles and bring them ever closer to virtual sign-off.”

Limited space is still available for the 2023 North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit. Registration will remain open until capacity is reached. Event registration is available at: 
/en/about/events/users_conferences/2023-na-vi-grade-zero-prototypes-summit-novi-mi-usa/.

Novi, MI, USA; August 2nd, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today released the final agenda for its highly anticipated North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit. Building on the resounding success of its inaugural edition in 2022 with over 130 in-person attendees, this one-day event will take place on September 20th, 2023, at the state-of-the-art Multimatic SimCenter in Novi, MI (suburban Detroit). As with VI-grade’s annual flagship event held at its main technical development center in Udine, Italy, the North American ZERO PROTOTYPES summit will feature a combination of high-level keynote and technical presentations. In addition, attendees can attend application-specific demo sessions to experience VI-grade’s simulation, driving simulator and hardware-in-the-loop technologies first-hand. 
 

• DESKTOP and DESKTOP NVH Simulator 
• COMPACT FSS and COMPACT NVH Simulator
• STATIC Simulator 
• DiM250 DYNAMIC Simulator 

Turin, Italy, July 12th , 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, and Addfor, a leading provider of AI-driven software solutions, today announced the formation of a strategic partnership solidifying VI-grade as the exclusive distributor of Addfor's innovative Sybille® software for the automotive market. Sybille®’s capability of generating real-time value forecasts of signals, effectively eliminates transmission delays and enables control actuation anticipation, thereby accelerating the vehicle development process. 

Addfor's Sybille® software seamlessly integrates with VI-grade’s driving simulators and HiL solutions, elevating their capabilities to new heights. Sybille® harmonizes all simulator cues – ranging from motion, graphics to sound and tire squeal - increasing accuracy and and refining the immersive driving experience.  Sybille®’s AI-based algorithm also facilitates the remote connection of a vehicle model with a driving simulator or a HiL test bench in different locations, significantly transforming global collaboration among the various vehicle development stakeholders. 

By empowering its simulation tools with Artificial Intelligence capabilities, VI-grade is ensuring that its driving simulators and simulation software continue leading the market with innovative solutions for the automotive industry that mirror global megatrends. This reseller agreement enables VI-grade now to directly distribute Sybille® to its customers, further expanding its product offering and reinforcing its leadership position in the driving simulator and HiL market. 

Through this partnership Addfor will now have access to VI-grade's extensive customer base, including leading OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and research centers with over 120+ simulators installed worldwide. This strategic alliance empowers Addfor to further commercialize and establish its Sybille® software in the automotive market by introducing it to VI-grade’s vast network. Additionally, the implementation of Sybille® will extend to VI-grade's SimCenter facilities across the globe, ensuring its availability and accessibility at various automotive hubs.

“We are thrilled to announce our exclusive reseller agreement with Addfor and the addition of their innovative Sybille® software to our product portfolio”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director of VI-grade. “The integration of Sybille® into our driving simulators and HiL solutions unlocks new possibilities for our customers, with the potential to revolutionize their vehicle development process. Moreover, by combining AI-based algorithms with our tools, we are embracing a global megatrend, ensuring that we stay ahead of the curve and effectively meet the ever-evolving demands of the dynamic automotive industry.”

“We are excited to partner with VI-grade and leverage their sales organization as well as extensive customer base to introduce our Sybille® software to the automotive market”, added Ruben Borchetto, Executive Director and Founding Partner of Addfor. “This reseller agreement opens new avenues for Addfor to furher commercialize and establish our innovative AI-based solution in collaboration with VI-grade's global network.”

Udine, Italy, June 29th , 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced it will expand its acclaimed ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit Series globally. Following the highly succesul 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit held in May at VI-grade’s SimCenter Udine (Italy), the company will again expand its premier event to the world’s three major automotive hubs. The upcoming summits will  be held in Novi, (Detroit) MI (USA), Tokyo (Japan), and Zhaoyuan (China), and will showcase VI-grade's commitment to spreading the Zero Prototypes vision and fostering collaboration worldwide.

Building upon the tremendous achievements of the EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, which attracted a record-breaking attendance of over 270 in-person participants and an additional 800 virtual attendees, VI-grade will again bring together automotive OEMs, suppliers, research centers and universities to showcase the progress they’ve made on their journey towards achieving zero prototypes and virtual sign-off. 

VI-grade’s ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit has become a must-attend annual event, providing exclusive insights into how key players in the global automotive industry are currently using simulation, driving simulators and hardware-in-the-loop technologies to accelerate new vehicle development. 

The upcoming ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits are as follows: 

North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit
Date: September 20th, 2023
Location: Multimatic SimCenter Novi in Novi, MI (Suburban Detroit, Michigan)

Returning for its second edition, the NA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit will once again take place at the state-of-the-art Multimatic SimCenter Novi. Keynote and technical speakers from renowned organizations such as General Motors, Hitachi Astemo, Eastern Michigan University and many more will discuss in technical detail the gains they have made towards achieving Zero Prototypes in their development processes. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to attend numerous application-specific demo sessions and gain valuable insights into how VI-grade’s simulation, driving simulator and hardware-in-the-loop technologies have already and will continue to revolutionize the vehicle development process.

Japan ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit
Date: September 21st, 2023
Location: Shinagawa Conference Center in Tokyo, Japan

Now in its third year and held entirely in Japanese, the Japan ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit will feature speakers from industry-leading companies such as Honda R&D, Nissan Bridgestone Japan and many more. The event will also give attendees the opportunity to experience VI-grade’s smaller-scale driving simulators, software and hard-ware-in-the-loop technologies live and in action during interactive demo sessions.

PRC ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit
Date: October 18th, 2023
Location: Applus+ IDIADA’s SimCenter in Zhaoyuan, Yantai, China 
For the first time ever, VI-grade is bringing its renowned ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit to China. Held in local language, this exclusive event is dedicated to executive-level engineering managers and experienced design engineers from the Chinese automotive industry. The summit, hosted at Applus+ IDIADA’s SimCenter in Zhaoyuan, Yantai, will feature industry leading speakers from NIO, CICV, CHERY and many more. As with the other ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits, attendees will have the opportunity to wittness VI-grade’s simulation tools, driving simulators and hardware-in-the-loop technologies live and in action. 

“We look forward to bringing our ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit to North America, Japan and China in fall 2023”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “These extraordinary events aim to unite the automotive industry across continents, fostering collaboration and driving the automotive sector towards an innovative future. This is also a great opportunity for us to demonstrate not only our Zero Prototypes vision and our tools to the Japanese, North American and Chinese communities, but also to gain insights into the remarkable projects and advancements our customers have accomplished using our simulation solutions.”

VI-grade would like to acknowledge and thank the following industry partners for their support and sponsorship of the regional ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits: 

• PLATINUM: Applus+ IDIADA, Multimatic, SAGInoMIYA
• GOLD: Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, cosin scientific software, HBK, Imtec Engineering, MegaRide, Progress Technologies, Solize, Stackpole Engineering Services
• SILVER: 3D Mapping Solutions, Smart Eye
• VI-CERTIFIED: Hexagon

Registration for all three regional ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits is now open at /en/about/events/users_conferences/. Additional details about the events will be added to the VI-grade website as they become available.

Udine, Italy, June 1st , 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the official recap of its highly succesful 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, which was held from May 23rd – 25th at VI-grade’s SimCenter in Udine, Italy. With a record-breaking attendance of over 270 in-person and additional 800 virtual attendees following the livestream on LinkedIn, this year's ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit marked the largest gathering to-date of VI-grade’s global driving simulator community. 

The summit’s theme of  “Join us on the Road to Zero Prototypes” embodied the journey towards a prototype-free vehicle development process and virtual sign-off, recognizing that the path itself holds immense value. Achieving Zero Prototypes remains the ultimate development goal, and VI-grade customers showcased the significant progress they’ve already made along this journey during the three-day event.
  The 2023 ZPS featured 27 inspiring keynote and technical presentations from renowned simulation thought leaders in the global automotive industry. These industry experts demonstrated how they leverage VI-grade’s simulation, driving simulators, and Hardware-in-the-Loop technologies to accelerate new vehicle development, bringing them ever closer to realizing the vision of Zero Prototypes.

Day 1 of the summit highlighted presentations from market leading companies such as Applus+ IDIADA, Bridgestone EMIA, Bugatti Rimac, CEVT, Dromo, HBK, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maserati, Mazda Motor Corporation, Meccanica 42, MegaRide, Pagani Automobili, Pirelli Tyre, Politecnico di Milano, Tenneco, and Volkswagen.

On Day 2, attendees were treated to presentations from Barco, CAE Value, Chassis Autonomy, Ferrari, Ford Motor Company UK, Hitachi Astemo, HORIBA MIRA, Hyundai METC, Jaguar Land Rover, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Moog, Multimatic, Pirelli Tyre, Politecnico di Milano, and Volvo Cars. 

The PDF versions of the presentations are already available for download on the VI-grade website. The video content will be shared on VI-grade's YouTube channel as it becomes available. The official aftermovie of the event can be found at this link https://youtu.be/3SIcT726wpo. 
  The ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit provided a forum for major announcements pertaining to VI-grade’s business and product developments, including:

• Launch of the COMPACT Full Spectrum Simulator: The summit unveiled VI-grade's new COMPACT FSS Simulator, an unparalleled, significant addition to the company's driving simulator product line. The COMPACT FSS Simulator addresses what had been until now the long-standing demand from vehicle design and development engineers to experience and evaluate ride motion, vibration, and sound within a single, small footprint simulator. 
• Global ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit Series Expansion: Demonstrating VI-grade's commitment to the Zero Prototypes challenge, the company announced the expansion of its global summit series. On September 20th, VI-grade will host its second North American summit at Multimatic SimCenter in Novi, Michigan, followed by a Japanese summit on September 21 in Tokyo. Finally, on October 18th, the first-ever ZPS summit dedicated to the Chinese automotive community will take place at the new SimCenter in Yantai, China, in partnership with Applus+ IDIADA. These events aim to unite the industry across continents, inspiring collaboration and driving the automotive sector towards an innovative future.
• 2023 Virtual Formula Award Ceremony: In tight competition between 130 teams from all over the world, the following winners of the 2023 edition of the Virtual Formula competition were announced during the event:
  • Optimization Category: UniBo Motorsport, Alma Mater University of Bologna, Italy
  • Digital Twin Electric Category: Squadra Corse PoliTO, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
  • Digital Twin Combustion Category: WUT Racing Team, Wuhan University of Technology, China

"The 2023 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit was an exceptional success, unveiling impressive metrics from our customers. With notable achievements such as a 50% reduction in test time, 30% to 40% reduction in development time, and 98% accuracy in performance prediction using VI-grade tools”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “Once again it was a great pleasure to welcome our valued customers, partners, sponsors and colleagues at our SimCenter Udine, providing them with hands-on experiences on our simulators as well as networking opportunities and high quality keynote and technical presentations. I very much look forward to our upcoming ZERO PROTOPYES Summits in North America, Japan, and China, where we will continue this inspiring journey together” 

INDUSTRY SPONSORS AND PARTNERS
VI-grade would like to acknowledge and thank the following industry partners for their support and sponsorship of the 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit:  

• PLATINUM: Applus+ IDIADA, HORIBA MIRA, SAGInoMIYA
• GOLD: Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, cosin, HBK, Imtec Engineering, Meccanica 42, MegaRide, Moog, Multimatic
• SILVER: 3D Mapping Solutions, domeprojection, Fraunhofer ITWM, Joanneum Research, Konrad Technologies, Rebel Dynamics, Smart Eye, Sound To Sight
• BRONZE: BE CAE & Test, Screenline
• VI-CERTIFIED: Hexagon, rFpro

Udine, Italy, May 17th, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, and Sound To Sight (STS), a visionary company specializing in unique sound design solutions for transportation domains, today announced their strategic partnership. This newly formed alliance brings together the technical and creative expertise of both companies, combining NVH simulation and Active Sound Design to create unparalleded driving experiences for customers worldwide.

The collaboration marks a significant milestone in the field of NVH simulation and Active Sound Design, offering numerous benefits to the automotive industry. Sound To Sight uses a unique, cutting-edge sound design method to create tailored and brand-aligned sound profiles for vehicle manufacturers. Their expertise enables the development of immersive soundscapes that embody a brand’s identity and heritage, evoking powerful emotions. These innovative sound designs can then be accurately reproduced and seamlessly integrated into VI-grade's NVH simulator allowing test drivers and decision makers to experience and evaluate them first-hand during simulated driving scenarios. This empowers vehicle manufacturers to first create unique sound designs with Sound To Sight and immediately test-drive them in VI-grade's NVH simulator, reducing the need for physical prototypes. 

“We’re excited to enter into this new strategic partnership with Sound To Sight”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “Combining Sound To Sight’s sound design expertise together with real-time human-in-the-loop virtual prototype simulations provided by VI-grade simulators exemplifies our commitment to the zero-prototype strategy. Vehicle design and development teams can decide on the exact right sound of the vehicle, evaluating the holistic vehicle experience of the sound design sound in context with all other sounds, vibration, motion and other factors in a dynamic, virtual environment, much more efficiently, and long before, a physical prototype could be made.”

“We are thrilled about this new partnership, which has already demonstrated success through a collaborative customer project in 2022 with a renowned Italian car manufacturer”, added Antoine Châron, Co-founder of Sound To Sight. “VI-grade and STS have worked together on an interior active sound design project, achieving impressive results thanks to the synergistic expertise of the two companies. We look forward to embark on this strategic partnership and pushing the boundaries of unique sound design”

In addition, Sound To Sight will participate as a SILVER sponsor in VI-grade’s ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, to be held on May 23-25, at SimCenter Udine. At their booth, Sound To Sight will show a selection of their sound designs on a VI-grade NVH DESKTOP Simulator for all attendees to experience live

Udine, Italy, May 11th, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the final agenda for its highly anticipated 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, to be held from May 23 - 25, 2023 at SimCenter Udine. In addition to the physical event, already at 95% capacity, VI-grade will also offer a live broadcast on LinkedIn of all summit presentations for those unable to attend in-person. 

SLATE OF SPEAKERS BOASTS A WHO’S WHO AMONG GLOBAL SIMULATION THOUGHT LEADERS

With over 20 high-level technical presentations to select from, attendees will hear first-hand from simulation thought leaders in the global automotive industry. These industry leaders will showcase how they employ VI-grade’s simulation, driving simulators and Hardware-in-the-Loop technologies to accelerate new vehicle development and get ever closer to  the “zero prototypes” vision. 

Attendees will gain valuable insights from Applus+ IDIADA, Bugatti Rimac, Bridgestone EMIA, CEVT, Chassis Autonomy, Dromo, Ferrari, Ford Motor Company, Hitachi Astemo, HORIBA MIRA, Hyundai METC, Jaguar Land Rover, Maserati, Mazda Motor Corporation, Mahindra & Mahindra, MegaRide, Multimatic, Pagani Automobili, Pirelli, Politecnico di Milano, Porsche, Volkswagen, and Volvo Cars, as they demonstrate their use of VI-grade technology to reduce the need for physical prototypes. 

For those unable to attend in person, the LinkedIn Live stream of the summit presentations provides an excellent opportunity to join the conversation and stay abreast of the latest advancements in automotive simulation technology. The official summit program is also available for download at https://www2.news.vi-grade.com/EMEA_ZPS2023_Official_Program 

“We are excited to bring together global simulation thought leaders at our 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “This year’s program promises to be our most comprehensive yet and we look forward to showcasing the innovative ways in which our customers are using simulation to accelerate vehicle development and reduce the need for physical prototypes. The fact that the summit is almost at full capacity is a testament to the importance of this topic for the automotive industry.” 

Limited space is still available for the in-person 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit.  Registration will remain open until capacity is reached.   Event registration is available at /en/about/events/users_conferences/2023-emea-vi-grade-zero-prototypes-summit-udine-italy/ 

Registration for the live broadcast will be done through LinkedIn.

Registration for conference day 1: https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:7062391966650523648/ 

Registration for conference day 2: https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:7062395071840571393/

Grand Rapids, MI, USA, May 4th, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the launch of its new COMPACT Full Spectrum Simulator (FSS) which will debut at the SAE Noise and Vibration Conference & Exhibition in Grand Rapids, Michigan, May 15-18, 2023. The new COMPACT FSS Simulator expands VI-grade’s driving simulator product line by addressing what had been until now the unmet demand of vehicle design and development engineers to experience and evaluate ride motion, vibration and sound in a single, small footprint driving simulator. 

Driving simulators have typically focused on just one attribute, leaving gaps and limitations in the vehicle evaluation process. Now, by providing full-spectrum, multi-attribute simulation from 0.5Hz to 20kHz, VI-grade's ground-breaking COMPACT FSS Simulator allows evaluators to experience both primary and secondary driving motion, vibration and sound all at once, combining vehicle dynamics and NVH applications in a single, compact simulator. Suitable for ride comfort evaluation, motorsport applications, seat evaluation and overall vehicle refinement characterization, the COMPACT FSS provides a more affordable option over a traditional hexapod simulator. Thanks to its small footprint it can be easily accommodated in the engineering office. This innovative and unique driving simulator further underscores and demonstrates VI-grade’s commitment to helping the automotive industry both accelerate the vehicle development process as well as  design engineers’ ability to innovate. 

“The new COMPACT FSS Simulator is the ideal tool for in-depth and accurate virtual prototype evaluations, allowing engineers to make vehicle design decisions with greater confidence”, commented Dave Bogema, Senior Director of Product Management at VI-grade. “Powered by a VI-grade AutoHawk real-time computer, the COMPACT FSS Simulator will help engineers experience multiple attributes of a vehicle and genuinely assess and understand how the car will feel and sound, without the need for physical prototypes.”

The new COMPACT FSS Simulator will be launched at the SAE Noise and Vibration Conference & Exhibition and can be experienced live and in action by attendees at booth #311. VI-grade will be present at the show together with its parent company HBK, bringing their joint message of “Confidence in Innovation – Empower the Innovators” to life. 

For European automotive customers and those unable to attend the SAE Noise and Vibration Conference, VI-grade will present the new COMPACT FSS Simulator at its ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit on 24-25 May at SimCenter Udine. For more information and to register for the event, please visit /en/about/events/users_conferences/2023-emea-vi-grade-zero-prototypes-summit-udine-italy/

Beijing, China, April 26th, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the successful installation and commissioning of the Cable-Driven DiM400 Driving Simulator at China Intelligent and Connected Vehicles Research Institute (CICV). The driving simulator has been installed at CICV's new engineering facility in Beijing, China, which is now available for rental by automotive OEMs and suppliers for intelligent chassis, intelligent cockpit and intelligent driving development.

In addition to providing the Chinese automotive industry with high-level engineering services aimed at advanced technology development and accelerating innovation, CICV will apply the DiM400 as part of their service platform that includes Simulation & Sensor Testing, Driver-In-Loop Lab, Vehicle-In-Loop Lab, Field & Road Lab, EEI Architecture Lab, Cybersecurity Lab, OTA Lab and Pilot Production Center.

“The Driver-in-the-loop approach is an advanced testing method to improve and validate intelligent and connected vehicles, and VI-grade’s Cable-Driven DiM400 Driving Simulator has high dynamic performance to support not only traditional chassis development, but also cockpit optimization and intelligence driving”, said Zhan Haiting, Vice President of the CICV testing company. “With this new simulator and other testing capabilities, CICV testing company led by the national think tank is forging a service platform with an innovation ecosystem that supports advanced technology development and technology transfer.”

“We are pleased to announce the successful installation of our DiM400 Driving Simulator at CICV, bringing our cable-driven simulator technology to the Chinese automotive market”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “The DiM400 is the optimal tool for CICV and the perfect complement to their existing research and engineering service capabilities. Thanks to its innovative cable-driven system allowing an extended range of motion, the DiM400 provides a highly realistic driving experience and immersion, which is essential in the development of intelligent and connected vehicles.”

The DiM400 simulator has been equipped with VI-grade software for motion cueing, vehicle model, graphic environment and active technology management. In addition, the cockpit includes equipment for driver’s biology signal acquisition and processing and driver monitoring systems for advanced ADAS and HMI simulation.

Udine, Italy, April 5th, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the preliminary agenda of its 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, to be held from May 24th – 25th, 2023 at its SimCenter in Udine, Italy. The Summit kicks off with a reception for all attendees on May 23rd at 6pm, followed by a 2-day conference packed with high-level Keynote and technical presentations as well as live driving simulator demos. The Summit concludes on May 26th with user group meetings and software training sessions. 

Building on last year’s success which attracted over 220 in-person attendees, the 2023 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit once again boasts a top-tier selection of speakers from industry-renowned companies, providing attendees with exclusive insights into their journey towards zero prototypes and virtual sign-off. Specifically curated, high-level keynote and technical presentations will feature representatives from Applus+ IDIADA, Bugatti Rimac, CEVT, Chassis Autonomy, CICV, Dromo, Ford Motor Company, Hitachi Astemo, HORIBA MIRA, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda Motor Corporation, MegaRide, Multimatic, Pirelli, Politecnico di Milano, Volkswagen and Volvo Cars. Additional presenters will be announced shortly.

New State-of-the-Art Driving Simulator to be Unveiled at EMEA Zero Prototypes Summit
One of the major highlights of this year’s summit will be the debut of a new, state-of-the-art driving simulator. As an added bonus of attending the Summit, ZPS attendees can be among the first to test drive it. Participants can also experience VI-grade’s entire family of driving simulators in exclusive, dedicated demo sessions.  These sessions will provide attendees with an invaluable firsthand experience where they will gain insight into how VI-grade's simulation tools add value to the development process.

“We are excited to unveil the preliminary agenda of our highly anticipated 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “These presentations will provide our valued customers, partners and followers with exclusive insights into how key players in the global automotive industry are currently using simulation and driving simulators to accelerate the development of new vehicles and bring them ever closer to virtual sign-off.”

Sponsors and Dedicated Exhibition Area
VI-grade would like to acknowledge and thank the following industry partners for their support and sponsorship of the 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit:  

• PLATINUM: HORIBA MIRA, SAGInoMIYA
• GOLD: Applus+ IDIADA, Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, HBK, Imtec Engineering, Meccanica 42, MegaRide, Multimatic
• SILVER: 3D Mapping Solutions, domeprojection, Fraunhofer ITWM, Konrad Technologies, Smart Eye
• BRONZE: BE CAE & Test, Screenline
• VI-CERTIFIED: rFpro

Sponsors will be present both at the dedicated exhibition area where they’ll showcase their technologies, as well as at live demo sessions, where their products and solutions are also directly integrated into VI-grade’s driving simulators.

Registration for the 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit is open at https://conference.vi-grade.com/. Additional details about the event will be added to the VI-grade website as they become available.

Darmstadt, Germany; March 23rd , 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, Chassis Autonomy, an Anglo-Swedish start-up that designs and manufactures fail-operational actuation systems for highly automated and fully autonomous vehicles, and CAE Value, a Swedish tech company that provides high-end simulation and optimization solutions, today announced a strategic partnership specifically focused on improving the way chassis components such as steering systems for autonomous vehicles are designed, tested, and validated. 

This strategic partnership provides all three companies with mutually beneficial collaboration opportunities to strategically advance autonomous vehicle development, providing significant advantages for the autonomous vehicle market as well as for their respective companies. This partnership allows VI-grade to apply its simulation software, driving simulator and Hardware-in-the-Loop technology to the ADAS/AV market, implementing specific L3, L4 and L5 testing scenarios to be used at VI-grade’s  SimCenters worldwide. These will also be made available on VI-grade’s VI-CarRealTime and VI-WorldSim simulation software platforms. Chassis Autonomy will gain access to VI-grade’s virtual test systems to both develop and demonstrate the capability of their products to their existing and prospective customers in a fully virtual test environment, all the while supported by CAE Value’s technical experts. 

"We are excited to enter into this strategic partnership with Chassis Autonomy and CAE Value," said Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “Their expertise in fail-operational actuation, for highly automated and fully autonomous vehicles are designed to maintain normal steering operation, even in the event of a system fault, which perfectly complements our own virtual test solutions. This partnership will allow all three companies to leverage each other's unique strengths, reinforce our value propositions and expand our customer base, potentially creating even more cross-selling options where the use of driving simulators is indispensable.”

"We are thrilled to partner with VI-grade and CAE Value," commented Thomas Li, Co-founder and CTO at Chassis Autonomy. "This collaboration advances our ability to both develop products and demonstrate the performance of our steering system products in a virtual environment using VI-grade’s driving simulators and software. The opportunity to introduce VI-grade’s extensive automotive customer base to our products and solutions is especially mutually advantageous.”

“We are very excited to partner with VI-grade and Chassis Autonomy and look forward to supporting Chassis Autonomy and incorporating VI-grade’s technology into their development process for Autonomous Vehicles”, said Johnny Engström, co-founder and CEO at CAE Value. 

Chassis Autonomy will present on "Developing Fail-operational L3, L4, and L5 Chassis Actuation Systems using an Integrated DiL and HiL Approach" during VI-grade's 2023 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, which will take place on May 24-25, 2023, in Udine, Italy. 

For further information on Chassis Autonomy, please visit https://www.chassisautonomy.com 

For further information on CAE Value please visit https://www.caevalue.com/

Udine, Italy, March 9th, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the preliminary roster of speakers and sponsors for its 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, to be held on May 24th – 25th, 2023. The Summit will kick off with a reception for all attendees on May 23rd at 6pm. As in the previous year, the in-person event will be held at VI-grade’s state-of-the-art SimCenter facility in Udine, located in the north-east of Italy.

The 2023 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit is specifically tailored to the global driving simulator community, providing attendees with exclusive insights into how industry-leading OEMs, suppliers, universities and research centers leverage VI-grade’s cutting-edge simulation, driving simulator and hardware-in-the-loop technology to reduce their reliance on physical prototypes in their quest to ultimately attain virtual sign-off. Specifically curated, high-level keynote and technical presentations will feature representatives from Applus+ IDIADA, CEVT, Ford, HORIBA MIRA, Mazda, Pirelli, Politecnico di Milano, and Volvo Cars. Additional presenters will be announced shortly.

ATTENDEES CAN EXPERIENCE VI-grade’s DRIVING SIMULATORS FIRST-HAND

In addition to a high-caliber speaker lineup, attendees can sign up for exclusive driving simulator sessions, where they can experience firsthand how VI-grade’s leading simulation tools add value to the development process. These tools provide significant advantages and benefits as the development process is refined and made more human-centric. 

SUPPLEMENTAL, HANDS-ON TECHNICAL TRAINING SESSIONS

In addition to keynote presentations and product demos, VI-grade is also offering on-site workshops for its flagship software products, VI-CarRealTime and VI-WorldSim. These fee-based training courses will take place on May 26th and are aimed at experienced users who want to expand their existing product knowledge as well as learn about the new functionalities and capabilities of VI-grade’s Software products. 

The 2023 ZPS event will also host two complimentary User Group sessions on May 26th for Driving Simulator and NVH customers, respectively. These User Group sessions will provide  valuable insights into the latest advancements in capabilities and technology development. Additionally, attendees will have a unique opportunity to share feedback and make requests directly to the VI-grade product development teams. This interaction will help to ensure that the needs and concerns of customers are addressed in future developments, thereby further enhancing the value of this annual must-attend event.

“We are excited to unveil the first lineup of speakers and sponsors for our highly anticipated 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “These presentations will provide our valued customers, partners and followers with exclusive insights into how key players in the global automotive industry are currently using simulation and driving simulators to accelerate the development of new vehicles and bringing them ever closer to virtual sign-off.”

VI-grade would like to acknowledge and thank the following industry partners for their support and sponsorship of the 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit: 

• PLATINUM: Rebel Dynamics, SAGInoMIYA
• GOLD: Applus+ IDIADA, Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, HBK, Imtec Engineering, Meccanica 42, MegaRide, Multimatic
• SILVER: 3D Mapping Solutions, domeprojection, Fraunhofer ITWM
• BRONZE: BE CAE & Test, Screenline
• VI-CERTIFIED: rFpro

Sponsors will be present both at the dedicated exhibition area where they’ll showcase their technologies, as well as at live demo sessions, where their products and solutions are also directly integrated into VI-grade’s driving simulators.

Registration for the 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit is now open at https://conference.vi-grade.com/. Additional details about the event will be added to the VI-grade website as they become available.

Tokyo, Japan, March 2^nd, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the introduction of an extended version of its DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator at PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group, a premier Japanese engineering service provider closely collaborating with key players in the Japanese automotive industry. The Driving Simulator, to be installed at PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group’s new engineering site, is based on the same patented architecture as VI-grade’s DiM250 model, but with extended workspace through longer tripod actuators.

With the acquisition of this advanced driving simulator, PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group will be able to provide high-level virtual testing services to Japanese automobile manufacturers and suppliers. The group aims to solve challenges faced by all manufacturing industries, including enhancing development efficiency, product quality, and shortening development time using digital and virtual technologies.

“We are thrilled to incorporate the renowned VI-grade DiM driving simulator into our upcoming engineering facility,” said Nakayama Gakuto, CEO of PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group. “The Driving Simulator not only allows us to refine conventional automobile driving skills such as running, stopping, and turning, but also to safely perform functional verification of automatic driving systems and advanced safety control systems."

“On the other hand, the Driving Simulator is a valuable testing equipment which requires a high-level technical expertise to master. To remove this barrier, we aim to promote wider usage of the Driving Simulator by more automotive companies. By doing so, we can offer our customers an unparalleled simulation and virtual testing environment to streamline their automotive development. We are convinced that the benefits will be even greater when combined with our existing engineering technologies and the MBSE and MBD technologies that we have been focusing on in recent years. Since interdisciplinary research on driving simulators is not as prevalent in Japan as it is in Europe, we actively seek collaborations with Japanese universities and research institutes to contribute to fields such as ergonomics."

"We are excited to have PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group adopt an extended version of our DiM250 DYNAMIC Simulator in their new engineering site, which will bring their customers one step closer to zero prototypes," commented Toru Yoshii, Japan County Manager at VI-grade. “The driving simulator will enable PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group to offer the highest quality engineering services to their customers, while also significantly advancing own research projects for next-generation vehicles.”

About PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES
PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group is a passionate and highly skilled team of engineers in the mechanical, electrical/electronic, and software/IT fields. With the theme of manufacturing innovation, we are offering technical services in the design development process to major manufacturers in Japan.

PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group has recently built a special team of highly skilled software engineers to scale its software solution offering to the existing manufacturing companies as well as other companies in different industries. The new division will be mainly focusing on: UI/UX design, cloud architecture design and consulting (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud-native web & mobile applications development.

The company is working on creating unique products that offer new experiences for customers.

For further information, please visit https://progresstech.jp

Darmstadt, Germany, February 15th, 2023 – VI-grade today announced the adoption of AutoHawk at Dallara, a world-renowned company specializing in the design, development and production of high-performance competition cars. To keep pace with the growing complexity of vehicles models and the high demand from racing teams to shorten development cycles, Dallara has now integrated VI-grade's new HiL platform powered by Concurrent Real-Time in its processes.

The acquisition of AutoHawk 16, a robust 16-core real-time system, will allow Dallara to run its driving simulators (static and dynamic) with complex vehicle dynamic models, tire models, and connect to HiL subsystems including vehicle and powertrain ECUs and the wet braking system. With AutoHawk 16 Dallara will benefit from even more reliable and precise simulations, as the workload can be split over multiple cores, ensuring hard real-time requirements are met. The acquisition will also secure the high performance and flexibility of Dallara's driving simulators for the coming years.

"With the new AutoHawk 16, we are confident to elevate our ability to provide exceptional high-performance competition vehicles and unparalleled support to racing teams from all over the globe”, commented Alessandro Moroni, Head of DiL Activities & Track Performance at Dallara. “We are excited to take this next step in our simulation capabilities and bring even more value to our clients."

“We are proud to partner with Dallara and empower them with the tools they need to continue their success in the highly competitive motorsports industry. The integration of AutoHawk underscores the growing industry’s demand for a cost-effective, complete, and open solution that encompasses hardware, software, and integration services. This highlights the value that VI-grade's advanced simulation solutions bring to the table, enabling companies to stay ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving industry.”, added Alessandro Baldari, EMEA HiL Sales Manager at VI-grade. 

For more information on VI-grade’s AutoHawk, please visit /en/products/autohawk/

Darmstadt, Germany, February 2nd, 2023 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced its updated 2023 event and webinar calendar leading the quest to Zero Prototypes. In an effort to attract as many attendees as possible from the global automotive industry, VI-grade has re-scheduled the EMEA, North American and Japanese Summits as follows: 

1. International / EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit: SimCenter Udine (Italy) on May 24-25, 2023 (NEW DATE)
2. North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit: Multimatic SimCenter in Novi, MI (USA) on September 20, 2023 (NEW DATE)
3. Japan ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit: Tokyo (Japan) on September 21, 2023

Spurred by the success of previous ZPS events, VI-grade will once again provide its community with exclusive insights into how major global players in the automotive industry are actively using simulation, driving simulators and HiL in their quest to achieve Zero Prototypes and virtual sign-off. Attendees at the ZPS events will have the unique opportunity to test drive and experience VI-grade’s simulators live. They’ll also hear first-hand from industry experts applying VI-grade’s solutions to achieve incredible results in their quest to dramatically reduce development time while also expanding innovation. Additional information on the individual events as well as a first round of speakers and sponsors will be announced shortly.  

 In Q1 VI-grade is hosting a series of free webinars and events on multiple platforms und media outlets to illustrate to a broader global audience details and examples of how VI-grade is bringing the automotive industry ever closer towards Zero Prototypes. Presented by Michael Hoffmann, VI-grade’s Zero Prototypes expert, these webinars will outline how companies can transition from a prototype-heavy testing environment to an upfront-driven approach, making product development more human-centric. 

Save the following dates to learn more about key strategies and critical success factors that drastically reduce the need for physical prototypes:

• Webinar “On the Road to Zero Prototypes” hosted by Mobex by Automotive World (English) on February 8th, 2023 at 4pm CET
• Webinar “On the Road to Zero Prototypes” hosted by Jishulink (Chinese) on March 1st, 2023 at 4pm CST
• Webinar “On the Road to Zero Prototypes” hosted by GoToWebinar (Japanese) March 2nd, 2023 at 4pm JST
• Webinar “The Road to Zero Prototypes: How to Dramatically Decrease the Need for Physical Prototypes” hosted by SAE (English) on March 7th, 2023 at 1pm ET
• “Der Weg zur prototypenfreien Entwicklung” hosted by ATZ (German) on March 16th, 2023 at 10am CET

“At VI-grade we are excited to drive our Zero Prototypes strategy forward and lead the way in the quest to achieve virtual sign-off. As the automotive industry moves towards an upfront simulation-driven approach, removing the bottleneck of subjective evaluation through physical prototypes is crucial for achieving virtual sign-off” commented Michael Hoffmann, Senior Expert in Simulation Driven Development at VI-grade. “In our upcoming events and webinars we will highlight how to make product development more human-centric, enabling engineers, managers and customer focus groups to assess the driving experience throughout the development process and ultimately remove the bottleneck for achieving zero prototypes."