Ansible opens new R&D simulator centre in Hethel

Posted on 28 May 2015 by The Manufacturer

Multi-million pound R&D centre is said to advance simulation technology for the automotive industry.

Ansible Motion’s new facility at the Hethel Engineering Centre will be used to develop and showcase simulation technologies for testing and developing vehicles in a virtual environment. The R&D Centre also features a full control room to monitor up to 300 channels of data.

“Simulators such as the Delta series in our new R&D Centre offer vehicle manufacturers a no-compromise method to reduce development costs and time,” says Kia Cammaerts, founder of Ansible Motion.

“Using our simulator has cut the validation time from 10 days to just three for an Electronic Stability Control programme for one particular car maker. Apply those kinds of savings in cost and time across the whole car and it explains why we are now getting more and more enquiries from global OEMs to see what our simulator can do. This R&D Centre will enable automotive engineers to assess how our simulator performs and it also serves as an internal development resource to ensure our simulators, built here in Norfolk, remain at the leading edge of this invaluable technology,” she says.

The company claims its Motion’s simulator has been driven by a different approach by adding strong emphasis on getting the driver to engage in a realistic way with the simulator. “Experienced drivers feel the difference straight away when they drive this simulator,” explains Cammaerts.

“We were inspired to open our R&D Centre to visitors so rather than just tell people about how different our approach is, they can come here and actually experience it. One recent European OEM visitor with significant experience with other simulators was stunned by the realism of our simulator. We know that climbing aboard and having a drive is the best way for someone to experience the Ansible Motion difference, so we are pleased to be able to allow this peak behind the curtain at our R&D Centre,” she adds.

Founded in 2009, Ansible Motion designs and builds ‘Driver-in-the-Loop’ simulators that are increasingly used by vehicle manufacturers and motorsport engineers to develop and test vehicles.