Powersoft and VI-grade are collaborating to enhance simulators. Now, Powersoft’s haptic transducer, Mover, is being integrated into VI-grade’s COMPACT FSS simulator enabling a more effective, powerful, and realistic experience.
VI-grade is a provider of software products and services, professional driving simulators, and hardware-in-the-loop solutions. Its COMPACT FSS simulator, tailored for automotive OEMs, replicates real-life car behavior and provides full-spectrum simulator from 0.5Hz to 20kHz, making it ideal for ride comfort, overall vehicle refinement characterization, and evaluating a wide range of vehicle attributes simultaneously.
Powersoft’s Mover was chosen for its compact design, ensuring optimal performance when mounted on moving/vibrating supports within the simulator. Its high force density, surpassing that of bulkier traditional shakers, and its price-to-quality ratio made it the ideal solution for the COMPACT FSS simulator.
The compact nature and power-to-size prowess means that Mover can be easily integrated into limited spaces, without orientation limits, and to provide a very high ratio between moving mass and total mass which greatly improves the overall efficiency and real-life haptic feedback of the final product.
VI-grade’s internal technical team, responsible for designing, testing, and certifying the simulators, first tested Powersoft’s Mover on a static version of the simulator. Their positive experience during this phase solidified their decision to integrate Mover into the new simulator model.
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“We are thrilled with the finished product and the feedback from users during our demos has been overwhelmingly positive,” stated Gabriele Ferrarotti, marketing director for VI-grade. “The integration of Mover onto our COMPACT FSS simulator allows to evaluate the entire frequency spectrum on a single simulator from handling to noise.
“The COMPACT FSS excels in assessing ride comfort by combining motion, vibration and sound to create an overall driver and passenger experience. It is also suitable for seat evaluations, as any seat can be placed on the COMPACT FSS, with motion and vibration delivered to the seat’s rail attachment points.”
The partnership between Powersoft and VI-grade involved dedicated support from Powersoft’s team, who addressed challenges including space constraints in integrating Mover into COMPACT FSS. Along with the integration of Mover, the simulator now also benefits from two new energy efficient Powersoft Mezzo amplifiers, replacing an old eight channel amplifier.
“We are particularly thrilled about this collaboration with VI-grade,” said Francesca Cenni, key account professional leader at Powersoft. “We have taken innovative steps in partnering with automotive manufacturers, and we’re rapidly solidifying our commitment to this sector. This partnership has been an exciting journey, showcasing Mover’s relevance within the automotive industry and the capabilities it brings to our partners.”
