Simulator Claims Big Advance in Carmakers’ ADAS Understanding

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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13th December 2018

A simulation company has unveiled its latest laboratory environment it claims will help carmakers assess human interactions with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and artificial intelligence (AI).

The latest iteration of Ansible Motion’s multi-million-pound Delta Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) simulator claims an ability to generate millions of scenarios to test and validate the myriad ADAS increasingly being fitted, or proposed, to new cars.

Its simulator lab in Hethel, Norfolk, has added a number of new features, such as cabin environments that reflect automakers’ styling and human interaction features. There’s also new software connectivity claiming deeper environment and sensor simulation which, coupled with the company’s motion, vision, and audio environment, ‘tricks’ drivers and occupants into believing they are experiencing a real vehicle and its ADAS or autonomous technologies.

Examples include the validation of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems that rely upon multiple sensor feeds and vehicle piloting logic algorithms to respond, in some cases, faster than any human response capability to various situations such as traffic and pedestrian intrusions. Other examples include lane departure warnings and assistance, intelligent speed adaption and driver monitoring for drowsiness and distraction.

The company also claims the simulator can also handle behavioral differences depending on different countries’ cultural backgrounds. Kia Cammaerts, founder and director of Ansible Motion, said: “Carmakers are introducing more driver assistance technologies but their level and method of intervention differs by car brand. If a car does something unexpected, we are able to test what the driver and occupant reactions will be in our simulator laboratory, well in advance of cutting any metal. Our latest simulator enables car manufacturers to design better and safer vehicles and assess many proposed technologies early in the design cycle.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_