The
technology is part of a KRW 15 billion (US $12.8 million) investment in the
Namyang Research and Development Center announced by the two companies in March
2019. Through the complete implementation of the virtual development processes
throughout R&D and pre-production stages, Hyundai and Kia anticipate a 20% reduction
in vehicle development times and a 15% reduction in annual development costs.
“The
virtual development process is a necessary step for responding quickly and
reacting with agility to the needs of customers and paradigm shifts within the
#automotive industry,” said Albert Biermann, Head of Research and Development
Division for Hyundai Motor Group. “Through reinforced virtual processes, we
will enhance quality and profitability, ultimately increasing investment in
R&D to secure competitiveness in future mobility, ” he added.
In
addition to reducing development costs, these new virtual technologies are
expected to increase profitability and trigger a cycle of continuously
increasing R&D investment for the companies..
New VR design evaluation system
VR
headsets allow the brands’ vehicle designers and engineers to virtually enter
developmental simulations, with 36 motion tracking sensors detecting and
tracking the locations and movement of all users, enabling each to participate
accurately in real time. The new VR design evaluation system can currently
support up to 20 simultaneous users, enabling greater cross-team collaboration
than ever before.
As
a result, the new cutting-edge facility allows the designers from each brand to
more efficiently review a multitude of design concepts earlier in the
developmental process and in ways that were previously physically impossible.
The system simulates interior and exterior design elements, lighting, colors
and materials, and even virtual environments themselves.
Hyundai
first used this system during the design assessment stages of the HDC-6 NEPTUNE
Concept Class 8 heavy-duty truck, first revealed at the North American
Commercial Vehicle Show in October 2019. Kia also plans to expand the design
assessment capabilities of the facility for developmental use on future models.
Additionally,
plans to establish remote VR design assessment capabilities will enable
real-time virtual collaboration between each brand’s design centers in Europe,
America, China and India, along with an enhanced virtual development process
through the implementation of AR (Augmented Reality), among other technology.
VR design quality verification
Hyundai
and Kia established a new design quality verification system using VR in March
2019, utilizing three-dimensional Computer Aided design (CAD) data collected
from every stage of the vehicle development process to assess the quality of
each design in virtual environments. The VR design quality verification system
is capable of 100 percent accuracy equivalents; previous digital assessments
were limited to two-dimensional analysis and did not permit detailed
performance evaluations.
VR
design quality verification processes also show tremendous potential for
developing safety technologies, as participants can virtually test vehicles in
a variety of simulated environments and situations. Among others, these
environments include highways, urban roadways, hills, tunnels, and low-lighting
conditions.
VR
also enables Hyundai and Kia vehicle development teams to simulate operations
of individual vehicle components, such as doors, trunk lids, engine hoods, and
windshield wipers. Furthermore, the system enables teams to test vehicle
ergonomics and aerodynamics more efficiently.
Hyundai
and Kia also plan to further introduce VR technologies in production and
assembly lines to create more ergonomic, efficient and safe working
environments.
Hyundai
and Kia will also introduce virtual development processes into product planning
and manufacturing. They plan to use the technology to preemptively prepare
high-quality vehicles that are both demanded by the market and that reaffirm
each brand’s reputation for customer focus.
Initially,
virtual models will be formulated using data from an architecture-based R&D
system, analyzing market demand. The model is then virtually verified, allowing
the creation of a harmonized and accurate performance goals based on customer
demands.
Where
previous quality verification processes began with the manufacturing of a test
vehicle, this process can now be accomplished virtually, during the
pre-production stage. Quality verification using virtual models and techniques
in early design stages will ultimately enhance the quality control of
real-world vehicles.
Further
applications for virtual digital twin verification will see VR heavily employed
in the development of future mobility solutions, such as high-level autonomous
driving. These virtual verification processes promise to dramatically speed up
development and implementation stages, positioning the company to react more
promptly to the rapidly changing mobility landscape.
Source:
Hyundai / Kia