The aptly named ViVID project (Virtual Vehicle Integration and Development) is a Ford-led industry-research collaboration to develop digital engineering and simulation tools, to accelerate electric commercial vehicle design – with fewer physical prototypes and a lower carbon footprint.
And we’re delighted to announce that Agility3 is a key player in this ground-breaking project.
As a trusted subcontractor to virtual test-driving specialist IPG Automotive, we’re working with Ford, plus partners including HORIBA MIRA, and Loughborough University, with funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, to develop ultra-realistic 3D virtual driving simulator environments and assets.
These are designed to test Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in particularly challenging situations, greatly reducing the risk, cost, and time associated with real-world testing, yet closely replicating the myriad situations and scenarios likely to be encountered.
What positive outcomes will the project deliver?
Ford describes the benefits of the project thus: “ViVID builds digital vehicle simulation capability and applies it to future electrified commercial vehicles. The goal is to accelerate the adoption of low and zero emissions commercial vehicles by making them more affordable, capable and bring them to market faster.”
This is especially significant given that commercial vehicles face unique challenges on the path to electrification – specifically, range, weight, charging speed, and torque – compared to electric cars; challenges that can potentially be minimised by innovative design, testing, and product development based on realistic and precise 3D modelling.
But the project delivers benefits beyond this, too, namely educational. The involvement of Loughborough University is enabling the development of an MSc and industry training modules to support the roll-out of the methodologies and tools within the consortium, and for use in internal University and wider industry teaching.
Why was Agility3 the partner of choice?
As mentioned above, the project has a special focus on testing ADAS in particularly challenging driving conditions – and this is where Agility3’s expertise in producing ultra-realistic 3D representations of real-world environments comes into play.
Driver (or self-driving) visibility can be heavily impacted by light, reflectivity, and surface configurations – for example, road markings or roadwork signage on a road running into the setting sun over the brow of a hill can appear all but invisible.
Add weather effects into the mix, and shadow from overhead structures and gantries, overhanging trees, and towering buildings, and the effects can fundamentally alter the driver’s (or indeed self-driving software’s) perception of the surroundings.
At Agility3, however, we have extensive experience of developing 3D environments to deal with challenges of this nature.
These include our work with HORIBA MIRA to model one of the most demanding motorway layouts in the UK – junction 2 of the M6 in Coventry, where it meets the M69 – our project with WMG at the University of Warwick to model a 10km stretch of the M42, and our work with Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education (BCRRE) to create an accurate representation of the visual environment train drivers actually experience from the cab.
Equally, our ability to model environments at a level of detail that is suitable for the very latest high-end simulator technologies – as demonstrated by, amongst other examples, our work with NVIDIA on its project to model downtown San Jose and other locations – is absolutely key.
ViVID: picturing a better planet
Chairman and Executive Director of Ford of Britain at the time of the project’s inception, Graham Hoare, has spoken of “bringing together the brightest minds in industry and research institutes… to keep the UK at the forefront of global automotive development.”
At Agility3, we’re immensely proud to be associated with that accolade, and equally proud that our solutions and expertise are supporting the more rapid development of marketable solutions for a cleaner, more sustainable, more liveable world.
For more information on our 3D visualisation, modelling, and simulation solutions for road, rail, construction, training, and other sectors, get in touch.
