How Virtual Reality is building the machines of tomorrow

Thanks to the rise of new technologies such as Virtual Reality and the increasing capacities of High Performance Computing (HPC), the days of crash test dummies and costly physical prototypes are becoming a distant memory in the automotive and capital goods sectors. The CNH Industrial Design Analysis & Simulation department works internationally, collaborating on the early stages of product development and engineering to map out new agricultural machinery, construction equipment, commercial vehicles and powertrains years before the final products arrive in the marketplace.

The latest episode of CNH Industrial’s Behind the Wheel web series takes you backstage, following the two central teams in Italy and the USA as they take us through the different elements of their work. The main simulations we see in the episode are: crashworthiness, safety, soil and crop modeling, ergonomics and vehicle dynamics.

It takes a great deal of computing power to develop the highly complex simulations required to view and manipulate every element of a machine. This entire process is enabled by the Company’s global network of HPC servers located around the world.

Watch how CNH Industrial uses Virtual Reality to map out machines that don’t yet exist, test out an infinite number of variables and determine the safety and comfort of hypothetical drivers and passengers – all without being together in the same physical location.

The latest episode of the Behind the Wheel series follows CNH Industrial’s Design Analysis & Simulation team as they collaborate across continents with super computers to conceptualize future machines. With the help of Engineering Simulation and Virtual Reality technology, they are able to reduce the number of physical prototypes that need to be built before a final product is produced. Video courtesy of CNH Industrial.

Image: CNH Industrial