Ansys and Nvidia Team Up to Enhance Autonomous Vehicle Sensor Technology

Ansys and Nvidia Team Up to Enhance Autonomous Vehicle Sensor Technology

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Ansys is collaborating with Nvidia to improve sensors for self-driving cars and other autonomous vehicles. Based in Pittsburgh, Ansys specializes in simulation software and has developed the Ansys AVxcelerate Sensors within Nvidia Drive Sim—a scenario-based AV simulator powered by Nvidia’s Omniverse. This partnership seeks to advance the development and validation of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and AV perception systems through high-fidelity sensor simulations.

Ansys will showcase this technology at the CES 2024 tech trade show in Las Vegas next week. By integrating Ansys AVxcelerate Sensors into Nvidia Drive Sim, car manufacturers get access to highly precise sensor simulation outputs. These outputs are essential for training and validating ADAS/AV perception systems, ensuring autonomous vehicles can navigate roads safely and reliably, even in critical situations.

Engineers working on autonomous vehicle technology face the daunting task of ensuring that sensor suites and software are safe and reliable in real-world driving conditions. Ansys and Nvidia address this by bridging the gap between reality and simulation. Their collaboration uses Ansys’ physics solvers for camera, lidar, radar, and thermal camera sensors within Nvidia Drive Sim’s realistic 3D environments for scenario generation.

Nvidia emphasizes that an open ecosystem approach is fundamental to their collaboration. Their Omniverse platform, a metaverse for engineers, allows users to develop OpenUSD-based 3D workflows. OpenUSD’s flexibility and modularity enable developers to build scalable simulations and act as a data factory for AI model training. Developers can use Omniverse to create custom synthetic data generation pipelines and generate annotated data for training on-board computer vision models. The integration with Ansys AVxcelerate Sensors, facilitated through APIs, ensures a seamless incorporation of Ansys’ physics solvers into Nvidia’s 3D virtual world.

Walt Hearn, senior vice president of worldwide sales and customer excellence at Ansys, explained that perception is key for AV systems and requires validation through real-world data to make smart, safe decisions. Combining Ansys AVxcelerate Sensors with Nvidia Drive Sim, powered by Omniverse, provides a comprehensive testing environment for developers, enabling original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to accelerate the development of AV technology.

Ansys has been creating simulation software for over 50 years, helping companies bridge the gap between design and reality. Their contributions have driven advances in various fields, from sustainable transportation to life-saving medical devices.