VI-grade provides simulator facilities to test and optimize new vehicle designs – powered by Barco

Developing a new vehicle is a huge investment for companies. A large team of people work years to get every detail right, making sure the car drives smoothly, is highly comfortable and 100% safe. Improving the design time can account for significant savings in development cost, and accelerated time-to-market. That is why vehicle simulators have gained a lot of importance in recent years. Virtual Reality (VR) systems allow engineers to assess the design of a new model in 3D, enabling even small adjustments to the car design on the spot without the need to make a physical prototype. Driving simulators, on the other hand, let engineers and test drivers take the model for a virtual spin in almost any environmental conditions with a driver-in-the-loop. VI-grade is a company that focuses on developing a range of driving simulators with a goal of “zero prototypes” in automotive design and development.

A place to develop ideas

Because not every car manufacturer has access to driving simulators, VI-grade has introduced their ‘SimCenters’ at locations around the globe. At these sites customers can rent time on a simulator to perform a wide range of virtual tests, including vehicle dynamics, ride & comfort, ADAS/AV, HMI and motorsports simulations – using their own vehicle models and components.

The data gathered in these sessions is of immense value for the further development of the models. Next to the driving simulators, customers can also consult VI-grade’s software and hardware development engineers.

Relying on Barco for ultimate reliability

The largest VI-grade SimCenter is located in Udine, Italy. Here you find a range of VI-grade simulators, including the COMPACT, STATIC, DiM150 and DiM400 solutions. Each of these simulators use Barco F70- and F80-series single-chip DLP projectors to visualize the simulator content.

“We chose Barco as a visualization partner because they are known in the automotive industry as a leading projection solutions provider, delivering highly reliable products that ensure optimal availability of the simulators,” says Diego Minen, CTO at VI-grade. “Especially when it comes to minimizing latency, Barco projectors are second to none. Next to the excellent technical performance, Barco has an international presence and support capability, which means that we can rely on them around the globe. Barco projectors are currently part of all our simulator solutions.”

Next to the Udine SimCenter, VI-grade offers similar services to customers in Detroit, USA, Millbrook, UK and Tokyo, Japan.