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.

東京（日本）、2023年3月2日 – VI-gradeは、日本の自動車産業の主要企業と密接に連携している日本有数のエンジニアリングサービスプロバイダー、プログレス・テクノロジーズグループにDiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulatorのエクステンション版を導入することを発表しました。このドライビングシミュレータは、DiM250と同じ特許構造をベースに、より長いトライポッドアクチュエータによって稼働スペースが拡張されたもので、プログレス・テクノロジーズグループの新しいエンジニアリング拠点に設置される予定です。

この先進的なドライビングシミュレータの導入により、プログレス・テクノロジーズグループは、日本の自動車メーカーやサプライヤーにバーチャルテストのサービスを提供します。テスト環境を提供するだけでなく、高度なシミュレーション技術や実験技術を背景に、プラントモデルの開発、評価、開発プロセス改革提案までワンストップのソリューションを提供します。デジタル、バーチャルの活用により開発効率の向上、製品品質向上、開発期間短縮といったあらゆる製造業で求められる課題解決を目指しています。

プログレス・テクノロジーズグループ代表取締役社長の中山岳人氏は、次のように述べています。
「VI-gradeのDiMシミュレータを当社のエンジニアリング施設に導入することができ、大変うれしく思います。Driving Simulatorは従来の「走る・止まる・曲がる」という自動車の走りを磨くことはもちろんの事、自動運転システム、先進安全制御システムの機能検証を安全に行う事ができます。
一方で、Driving Simulatorは非常に高価な試験装置であり、使いこなすには高い技術と多くのノウハウが必要です。弊社はDriving Simulatorのハードルを低くし、より多くの自動車関連企業の皆様に活用して欲しいと考えております。これによりお客様にこれまでにはないシミュレーションとバーチャルテストの環境を提供し、自動車開発を効率化することが可能になります。我々が従来から提供しているエンジニアリング技術や近年力を入れているMBSE、MBD技術と合わせることで、その効果はより大きくなると確信しています。
また、日本におけるDriving Simulatorの学際的な研究は欧州に比べて盛んではありません。弊社は積極的に国内の大学・研究機関と協力して、人間工学などの分野にも貢献できることを楽しみにしております。」

VI-gradeのJapan County Managerである吉井亨氏は、次のように述べています。
「プログレス・テクノロジーズグループにDiM250 DYNAMIC Simulatorのエクステンション版を新しいエンジニアリング拠点に導入していただき、お客様のゼロプロトタイプにまた一歩近づけることを嬉しく思っています。このドライビングシミュレータの導入により、お客様に最高品質のエンジニアリングサービスを提供できるようになるとともに、自社の次世代自動車の研究プロジェクトも大きく前進させることができます。」

プログレス・テクノロジーズグループについて
プログレス・テクノロジーズグループは、機械、電気/電子、ソフトウェア/ITの各分野のエンジニアが集まった、意欲的で高い技術力を持つチームです。製造業のイノベーションをテーマに、日本の大手メーカーに設計開発プロセスにおける技術サービスを提供しています。この度、プログレス・テクノロジーズグループは、既存の技術提供のみならず、開発プロセスそのものの改善を支援するため、高度な技術と豊富な経験を持つエンジニアのスペシャリストチームを社内に設立しました。新部門では、主に以下の業務を行います。
ドライビングシミュレータを用いた各種実験・計測・技術コンサルティング、シミュレーション（CAE）モデル開発、実験計測受託、性能設計（MBSE、MBD）コンサルティング　など
また、お客様に新しい体験を提供する当社独自のプロダクトの開発にも取り組んでまいります。
詳細については、https://progresstech.jpをご覧ください。