Calling this the most incredible driving simulator on the planet would be an understatement. The temptation is to draw comparisons with off-the-shelf racing games like Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo.
In truth, both pale in comparison to what Ansible Motion does. It’s like lining up a firework alongside a Saturn 5 rocket.
A simulator that ‘tricks’ you...
This setup is a bit more complicated than a Logitec hooked up to an Xbox. It’s also about 5,000-times more expensive, assuming your Xbox and wheel cost you around £500.
So what do you get for £2.5 million? A simulator system comprised of 16 computers, 300 data channels, 11 or more motion axes, an eight-metre wraparound screen and a projection system, plus audio that’s at least five times more powerful than inside a cinema. Add to that a full cockpit (of your choice) mounted in a carbon fibre tub on a stratiform machine with horizontal, longitudinal and rotational movement, while pivoting on three additional axes.
Why doesn’t Ansible Motion use a whole car? Well, it would go to waste on a rig and be extremely heavy. All this operates in a compact space, with much greater efficiency and freedom of movement than a ‘conventional’ hydraulic hexapod simulator. The result is a near-perfect driver-in-loop (DIL) system that tricks you into thinking you’re driving a real car.
Read the full article on the Motoring Research Magazine.
