VI-grade has officially launched its latest and most advanced driver-in-the-loop (DiL) motion platform, the HexaRev, which was announced in May at the 2025 VI-grade Zero Prototypes Summit, in Udine, Italy.
HexaRev is a part of VI-grade’s Full Spectrum Simulator (FSS) family. The product features new mechanical architecture and direct-drive design intended to improve unprecedented fidelity, system responsiveness and motion efficiency for six-degrees-of-freedom (6-DoF) simulators.
“The launch of HexaRev marks a major step forward in simulation realism,” said Dave Bogema, senior director, product management at VI-grade. “With its innovative mechanical simplicity and unmatched motion performance, HexaRev delivers a whole new level of immersion for vehicle development teams around the world. It’s not just a motion platform, it’s the new benchmark for driver-in-the-loop simulation.”
Motion in driver-in-the-loop simulation
HexaRev’s 6-DoF platform is a mechanical and kinematic concept designed to expand usable motion during complex, combined maneuvers. This enables development teams to evaluate vehicle behavior in highly dynamic scenarios, such as braking while cornering or acceleration through a chicane, with greater realism and accuracy.
Key highlights of HexaRev include a 50% improvement (approximately) in motion envelope-to-footprint efficiency compared to traditional hexapods; a direct-drive architecture without belts, gears or ball screws results in low latency and nearly-zero mechanical noise or parasitic vibration; and a mechanical simplicity that “increases reliability and minimizes maintenance”.
When combined with VI-grade’s Hyperdock, the HexaRev platform becomes a Full Spectrum Simulator (FSS) capable of delivering synchronized motion, vibration and sound for a comprehensive sensory experience. The complete HexaRev FSS setup is said to provide accurate, real-time 6-DoF vehicle motion, 7-DoF high-frequency tactile feedback at key driver touchpoints that replicate road texture, engine behavior and chassis harmonics, as well as immersive acoustic rendering through cockpit speakers or headphones.
These features are fully integrated with VI-grade’s proprietary VI-ZeroLatency technology, creating a simulation environment that enables drivers and engineers to engage with digital prototypes with enhanced realism.
In related news, Ansible Motion, manufacturer of driver-in-the-loop (DIL) simulators, and the University of Cambridge’s Engineering Department (CUED) are working together in support of a PhD study into human driver behavior, funded by Toyota Motor Europe. Read the full story
