FULL MOTION MOTORCYCLE SIMULATOR FOR PROFESSIONAL USE

Since 2005, when Cruden built the world’s first professional-grade motorcycle simulator, our engineers have been working on hardware, software, motion cueing, vehicle dynamics, rendering and content for a realistic motorcycle simulator that can be used professionally by manufacturers, race teams, universities, research institutions and road safety organisations.

To see a video of the Cruden motorcycle simulator click here.

 

PRODUCTS

Our package incorporates a 6-DOF motion system in hexapod configuration, depth-map sensors for rider body tracking, an extra stiff steering actuator and a Head Mounted Display (HMD) for visualisation.

Every driver uses essentially the same technique to control a car. This technique is also very intuitive and straightforward; direct car controller displacements (e.g. turning the wheel) result in corresponding direct car responses (e.g. driving a curved path). When riding a motorcycle, the control inputs from the rider are force-related instead of displacement-related. A rider controls the motorbike by exerting forces on the bike, for example by pushing (but usually not rotating!) the handlebar, or shifting his/her weight.

The motorcycle steering process is made even more difficult to mimic by the essential riding technique of counter-steering. Above a certain speed, in the instant before leaning into a corner, a rider initiates a turn by pushing on the inside handlebar: pushing left to go left or pushing right to go right. This might seem counter-intuitive but most riders counter-steer instinctively and are barely aware of their handlebar input.

Whereas every driver controls a vehicle roughly the same way, especially when handling is not ‘on the limit’, there is much more differentiation in riding styles on motorbikes. Consequently, for a motorcycle simulator to offer a realistic riding experience, it must cater for all these different riding styles.

Rudimentary motorcycle simulators of the past have attempted to mimic the effects of the rider moving weight in one direction or another by measuring with sensors any changes of pressure in the saddle or on the footrests. Cruden’s much more sophisticated system uses depth-map sensors to continuously detect exactly how the rider is positioned on the bike and uses this information to alter vehicle behaviour accordingly. To complement this, a very stiff steering actuator allows for realistic counter-steering capabilities.

Riding a motorcycle requires a very large field of view, both horizontally and vertically, hence the MC1 motorcycle simulator is equipped with a Head Mounted Display (HMD). This device offers a virtually unlimited field of view and unprecedented levels of immersion. The integration of the HMD with Cruden’s Panthera simulation software means that the HMD responds to the user’s head movements, not to the movements of the motion platform.

The simulator has been designed to be of value in high-level rider training, racing simulations and fine-tuning vehicle dynamics.

See our technical papers section to browse academic articles on motorcycle simulators.

If you are interested in motorcycle simulators for entertainment and attractions, please visit our colleagues over at Cesys.

 

Interested?     CONTACT US

 

 

A professional grade motorcycle simulator for manufacturers, race teams, universities, research institutions and road safety organisations for the purpose of safety research, high-level rider training, racing simulations and fine-tuning vehicle dynamics.

REQUEST SPECIFICATION SHEET

  • 6-DOF motion system in hexapod configuration
  • Customer-supplied motorcycle hardware
  • Depth-map sensors for rider body tracking
  • Extra stiff steering actuator
  • Head Mounted Display (HMD)

 

RICHARD UHLMANN

RICHARD UHLMANN

Project Manager at Audi AG​

“The driving simulator is part of the comprehensive virtual development chain that we are already using successfully to design new chassis. In the future, we want to use it to experience driving characteristics very early on, in order to make pivotal decisions about the project. That saves time and resources and makes it possible for us to influence the vehicle concept early on.”

GIL DE FERRAN

GIL DE FERRAN

Indianapolis 500 winner, Indy car champion and consultant to HPD (Honda Performance Development)

“Because [setup] changes can be done so quickly, the simulator allows you to run through many more [chassis geometry and track condition] changes than you could perform with an actual race car. It also allows you to perform experiments that would be completely impractical – or highly expensive – on an actual race car.”

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GUILLAUME CAPIETTO

GUILLAUME CAPIETTO

Technical Director, Prema Racing

“Our previous simulator wasn’t realistic enough to be used for car development or setup optimisation and was not really open to development by our own engineers. Adding Panthera gives us better platform cueing to improve driver immersion; better performing and more efficient image rendering and a higher display frequency; better control of steering force feedback and belt-tensioner cueing; more realistic car and tyre models; and better correlation between simulation and real-driving.”

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LEWIS BUTLER

LEWIS BUTLER

Technical Director at Mahindra Racing

“A professional simulator is needed to ensure that our energy strategies are correct and that our drivers are familiar with all the controls procedures and options before we get to the track. After researching all options, we concluded that a Cruden simulator will provide the best balance between cost and technical benefit. It’s important that we are be able to integrate the simulator with our existing vehicle model. Cruden is a skilled system integrator with a detailed understanding of racing operations which gives us a great deal of confidence.” 

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MARIAN GÖLLNER

MARIAN GÖLLNER

Research Assistant at the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences

“The development cycle of any mechatronic component consists of three main stages: model-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop. For us, there was a gap because the driver is not involved in any of these three stages. To do this we purchased a Cruden DIL simulator, which is now the fourth and final stage of our simulation cycle.”

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JAY R GROMASKI

JAY R GROMASKI

Senior Manager of Autonomous Test & Simulation Development at Mobis.

“We selected Cruden as a full system integrator of the simulation environment and due to the company’s proper management of the simulator latency effect and quality of customer service.”

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JONATHAN NICOLS

JONATHAN NICOLS

Lead Systems Engineer at Artemis Technologies.

“The simulator will enable Artemis Technologies to make design direction decisions much earlier. We learn too much too late, only discovering whether the offline engineering has been successful once we get the boat in the water.”

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AXEL NIKLASSON

AXEL NIKLASSON

Student driver from Chalmers Automotive Simulator Technology Education Research (CASTER)

“It is so easy to change the setup in the simulator. It allows us to get a first glimpse of how the cars’ mechanical grip changes with different setups. Usually we do ten minute stints with quick setup changes and as a driver it’s great to feel the immediate effect of a change, rather than having to wait for the mechanics.”

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PROFESSOR JUNMIN WANG

PROFESSOR JUNMIN WANG

Director, Mobility Systems Laboratory at UT-Austin

“The Cruden system affords us the luxury of testing and validating autonomous vehicle control systems exclusively or as part of a wider scope of research where human behaviours and interactions with these systems are repeatedly monitored and observed in real time. The flexibility and ease at which the hardware and software works together enables us to conduct repeatable and measurable research on accurate representations of the vehicles, the prevailing driving environment and numerous scenarios in which a driver may encounter.”

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A LIST OF WELL-KNOWN ORGANIZATIONS THAT TRUST CRUDEN

 

 

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Welcome to Cruden’s no-cost, license-free version of its Panthera simulation software. Users can run simulations, modify and expand vehicle models, add interfaces to hardware and use custom cars and tracks.

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