In Formula 1, nearly every team has an engineering-grade simulator, and in the past few years NASCAR teams have also started to adopt the technology. For some time, it was thought there was little benefit to be gained from driver simulators in Stock Car racing, but now there are multiple set-ups around NASCAR’s North Carolina hub.
Teams in the WEC, Formula E and other series also make use of DIL, while many vehicle manufacturers now have in-house DIL capabilities that share duties between road car and racecar development. BMW, for example, recently opened its FIZ research and innovation centre in Munich, containing no less than 14 DILs of different types.
When linked to a team’s vehicle physics model, a properly designed DIL can be used by engineers to work on the development of a car, with the driver acting as another input to the vehicle models. An input that can be of vital importance. For example, sometimes a set-up that a computer simulation says should be fast proves not to be in the real world, if it introduces handling traits that prevent the driver fully exploiting the potential performance. Second, and this is only something that has become apparent after teams have started using simulators, driver involvement can show up flaws in the validity of a particular vehicle model.
Sensory inputs
It may sound obvious, but the basic requirement for a full-motion DIL simulator is that it comes as close to they are undergoing the same loadings and forces as would be experienced in a real car. It is here that the world of engineering crosses into that of physiology, because being able to create the necessary sensations requires an in-depth understanding of the way the human brain reacts to and interprets sensory inputs.
