Adrian JohnsonTLDR: VI-grade and Varjo have partnered to accelerate the development of human-machine interfaces (HMI) in the automotive industry. The collaboration involves using Varjo’s XR technology and headsets to enhance the immersive experience of VI-grade’s driving simulators. The integration will allow for the incorporation of multi-agent AI traffic behavior and sensor fusion. This collaboration aims to streamline the HMI development process and enable more advanced applications in driving simulators.
VI-grade, a provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, has partnered with Varjo, a technology provider of virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) technology, to advance human-machine interface (HMI) development in the automotive industry. By using Varjo’s XR technology and headsets, the collaboration aims to enhance the immersive experience of VI-grade’s driving simulators.
The collaboration between VI-grade and Varjo will enable the integration of Varjo’s XR-3 and XR-4 headsets with VI-grade’s standard virtual environment, VI-WorldSim. This integration will incorporate multi-agent AI traffic behavior and sensor fusion into the simulation experience. The XR-3 headset model will be supported starting with VI-WorldSim version 2024.1, while XR-4 headsets will be supported through the OpenXR framework in Unreal Engine 5.
By incorporating Varjo’s XR technology into VI-grade’s simulators, the collaboration aims to provide dynamic motion, sound, and lifelike visuals, enhancing the overall experience for automotive manufacturers and engineers. This will enable them to make informed design decisions and improve vehicle performance from a human-centric perspective.
Roberto De Vecchi, head of product development at VI-grade, highlighted the benefits of supporting high-quality mixed reality solutions in professional driving simulators, stating that it expands the scope of the simulators and allows for more advanced HMI applications.
Seppo Aaltonen, CCO at Varjo, emphasized the transition to immersive virtual environments as a way to eliminate the need for traditional, resource-intensive methods in the prototyping process. He expressed pride in deepening the collaboration with VI-grade through the support of Varjo’s new generation of devices, the Varjo XR-4 Series, in VI-WorldSim.
This partnership between VI-grade and Varjo is expected to accelerate the development of HMIs in the automotive industry and streamline the prototyping process, ultimately leading to more advanced and efficient vehicle designs.
