In a far flung corner of Norfolk, a team of simulator engineers has been focussing not only the driving experience but also the aural one, too. Ansible Motion recognised the importance of sound for accurate driver feedback for its simulators and has been working with to HARMAN to make the most realistic simulation experience.
Simulators are increasingly commonly found within the automotive industry for developing new road and race cars. The blend of lower costs and more environmentally-friendly footprint, not forgetting the more consistent, lab environment means they are trusted bits of kit. However the effectiveness of a Driver-In-the-Loop (DIL) simulator (where a human is controlling the sim) hinges on its ability to fool the driver into believing they are driving a real car. Only then will the driver feedback offer valuable insight into how a vehicle behaves. “The driver’s emotional involvement is crucial in creating a high quality simulation experience,” says Ansible Motion’s founder Kia Cammaerts. “The driver must receive the correct feedback that they would normally experience on the road in order to drive it like a real car on the open road.”