Honda R&D commits to next-generation Ansible simulator 

HONDA R&D Co is extending its long-term relationship with Ansible Motion after commissioning the latest advanced Delta S3 DIL simulator.  

 With a larger motion space and increased dynamic range, the versatile simulator will enable the efficient development of both future road and race vehicles and their associated technologies at its Sakura engineering facility. 

Over 10 years on from its first collaboration with Ansible Motion, Honda R&D Co was in fact the first customer to commit to the Delta S3 DIL simulator, ahead of the recent announcements from BMW and Continental.  

Honda R&D Co played a key role in defining the S3’s core specification, encouraging Ansible Motion to push the boundaries to deliver the most responsive dynamic motions and fidelity needed to develop new race cars, powertrains, ride, steering and chassis feel as well as driver assistance technologies. 

With that ability to test a range of automotive technologies on a single platform, Ansible Motion’s simulator supports the forward-thinking vehicle manufacturer’s sustainability goals, with the capability to experience in Sakura, any circuit or road environment from around the world, as well as simulating any weather condition or time of day. 

Along with the flexibility of the S3 Delta simulator to recreate immersive environments suitable for a production road car such as Civic Type-R, through to a Super Formula single-seater, Ansible Motion’s technical support and ability to deal with specific customer requests were key factors in the selection.  

“Since 2011 Honda has trusted Ansible Motion’s Delta DIL simulators, enabling our engineers to develop better automotive technologies,” said Kazuharu Kidera, Chief engineer, HRD Sakura. “Its simulators advance our engineers’ understanding, support our young engineers to learn, and allow us to observe in a controlled environment how drivers, from professional motorsport through to everyday consumers, interact with new technologies.  

“Thanks to its open software architecture, we can integrate a variety of vehicle models alongside additional hardware- and software-in-the-loop.” 

With versatility a key element of the S3 Delta simulator, Honda envisages the broad range of use cases will expand. “Other expected applications include understanding tyre wear, circuit acclimatisation and giving drivers and engineers the opportunity to experience scenarios such as new aero setups for our Super GT car or testing limit handling with and without dynamic stability control systems,” added Kidera. 

“As the first to commit to this new generation of simulator, Honda’s input and ideas were crucial in achieving the performance now possible,” said Kia Cammaerts, technical director and founder of Ansible Motion. “We have always focused on achieving highly dynamic and high-fidelity motion in all of the six degrees of freedom that define a vehicle’s movement. The new Delta S3 simulator expands on this in all areas, ensuring it meets the demands necessary to validate future automotive technologies and be a dependable tool for engineers through class-leading dynamics, immersion and motion.”