Develops and manufactures testing and measurement systems for vehicle testing: driving robots, ADAS test targets, K&C, NVH and steering test benches.
AB Dynamics plc
Bradford on Avon (UK) · Japan · USA · GermanyNew on Amplifa
About AB Dynamics
AB Dynamics is a supplier of testing and verification systems for the automotive industry. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Bradford on Avon (Wiltshire, UK), the company develops and manufactures solutions for track testing and laboratory testing: driving and steering robots, ADAS test targets and platforms, K&C test machines (SPMM Plus), NVH test benches for suspension systems (ANVH 250), steering system test benches (SSTM), and systems for measuring centre of gravity and moments of inertia. In addition, the company offers automated driverless test systems, telemetry software, rental of test equipment and test-as-a-service. Customers include the 25 largest global vehicle manufacturers, Euro NCAP laboratories and governmental testing authorities. AB Dynamics has been listed on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange as AB Dynamics plc since 2013 and is part of a group of companies with brands such as ABD Solutions, Ansible Motion, DRI, rFpro, VadoTech and Bolab Systems. Branches in Japan, the USA and Germany have existed since 2019.
- Site
- Bradford on Avon, BA15 1GB, UK
- Processes
- Kinematics and compliance tests (K&C tests), NVH tests for suspension systems, Steering system test bench (characterisation, mHiL, DiL for hydraulic, EPAS and, Measurement of centre of gravity (CoG) and moments of inertia (MoI) for vehicles and components, ADAS test procedures (Euro NCAP, NCAP tests, VRU tests, autonomous driving), ADAS test equipment rental and testing service (JARI, Japan), Automated driverless vehicle testing (Driverless Test System,, Track Testing (vehicle testing: driving robots, ADAS targets, ADAS platforms, drive-by-wire).
- Materials
- K&C test machine (SPMM Plus), ANVH 250 NVH test bench, Steering system test bench SSTM, MIMS, Driving robots (Halo, SR 30), ADAS test targets and platforms, Driverless Test System, TrackFi PowerMesh
- Founded
- 1982
- Industries
- Automotive industry, Testing institutes/laboratories (e.g. Euro NCAP), Governmental testing authorities, Commercial vehicles, Off-highway/defence/mining/agriculture, Commercial vehicles (Heavy Vehicle Testing)
- 01
Engineering and R&D
- 02
Design and manufacturing of the test systems
- 03
Test and calibration at headquarters
- 04
Sales and support worldwide
- 05
Rental and test-as-a-service
Products and Processes
K&C test machine (SPMM Plus)
Kinematics and compliance tests for vehicles from micro cars to light commercial vehicles; unique design with a moving vehicle body and fixed ground plane.
ANVH 250 NVH test bench
Up to six electromagnetic actuators, 0–250 Hz, +/-0.01 to +/-50 mm and up to 10 kN peak force per actuator for measuring structure-borne sound transmission of suspension systems.
Steering system test bench SSTM
Characterisation, mHiL and DiL for hydraulic, EPAS and steer-by-wire steering systems with a rack excitation bandwidth of over 40 Hz.
MIMS
Optional extension of the SPMM Plus for measuring centre of gravity and moments of inertia of complete vehicles and individual objects such as e-drive units.
Driving robots (Halo, SR 30)
Directly driven steering robots for precise, reproducible track testing; Halo can be mounted without removing the airbag.
ADAS test targets and platforms
Euro NCAP-approved soft targets (Soft Car/Pedestrian/Motorcycle/Bicycle 360) and platforms such as GST 120, LaunchPad 80 and LaunchPad Spin.
Driverless Test System
Driverless, robot-controlled vehicle testing for endurance, misuse and mileage accumulation tests.
TrackFi PowerMesh
Dual-band wireless mesh network for data transmission with low latency between multiple vehicles and ADAS targets.
aVDS driving simulator
Driver-in-the-Loop driving simulators of the group (Ansible Motion) for early-stage evaluation in a virtual environment.
Locations
Bradford on Avon
GBHeadquarters: engineering, R&D, sales, support, manufacturing, test & calibration
- K&C test machine SPMM Plus
- NVH test bench ANVH 250
- Steering system test bench SSTM
- Driving robot Halo
- Engineering Design Centre (opened 2017/2021)
Japan (JARI Proving Ground)
JPBranch since 2019; rental of ADAS test equipment and testing service
- Halo driving robot
- CBAR pedal robot
- GST 100/120 platforms
- LaunchPad 50/60/Spin
- DRI soft targets
USA
USBranch since 2019
Germany
DEBranch since 2019
Test Systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinematics and compliance tests (K&C tests)Testing | – | – | – | – | Vehicles (small cars to light commercial vehicles) |
| NVH tests for suspension systemsTesting | Displacements +/-0.01 to +/-50 mm | – | – | – | Axle carriers/suspensions |
| Steering system test bench (characterisation, mHiL, DiL for hydraulic, EPAS andTesting | Tie Rod Force Control bandwidth >40 Hz | – | – | – | Steering systems |
| Measurement of centre of gravity (CoG) and moments of inertia (MoI) for vehicles and componentsTesting | – | – | – | – | Vehicles, vehicle components (e.g. e-drive units) |
| ADAS test procedures (Euro NCAP, NCAP tests, VRU tests, autonomous driving)Testing | – | – | – | – | ADAS targets (Soft Pedestrian 360, Soft Motorcycle 360, Soft |
| ADAS test equipment rental and testing service (JARI, Japan)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automated driverless vehicle testing (Driverless Test System,Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
17 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K&C test machine (Suspension Parameter Measurement Machine) | AB Dynamics SPMM Plus | – | moving centre table, fixed ground plane; smallest city cars to light commercial vehicles | – | – |
| NVH test bench for suspension systems | AB Dynamics ANVH 250 | – | up to 6 electromagnetic actuators, 0–250 Hz, +/-0.01 to +/-50 mm, up to 10 kN peak force per | – | – |
| Steering system test machine | AB Dynamics SSTM | – | two mounting pockets with resonance frequency >150 Hz, rotary wheel actuators, Tie Rod Force | – | – |
| Driving robot (steering robot) | AB Dynamics Halo | – | Direct drive with hollow centre, mounting without airbag removal | 2020 | – |
| Driving robot | AB Dynamics SR 30 | – | – | 1997 | – |
| ADAS test platform | AB Dynamics GST 120 / GST 120 Plus | – | Highway-speed ADAS testing | 2020 | – |
| ADAS test platform | AB Dynamics GST 100 | – | – | – | – |
| VRU test platform | AB Dynamics LaunchPad 80 | – | up to 80 km/h | 2021 | – |
| VRU test platform (motion platform) | AB Dynamics LaunchPad Spin | – | up to 30 km/h, acceleration 3 m/s², 360° pivoting front wheel, turning on the spot, Torque | 2023 | – |
| VRU test platform | AB Dynamics LaunchPad 50/60 | – | – | – | – |
| ADAS target (pedestrian) | DRI Soft Pedestrian 360 (incl. child version) | – | Euro NCAP-approved | 2022 | – |
| ADAS target (motorcycle) | DRI Soft Motorcycle 360 | – | – | 2022 | – |
| ADAS target (bicycle) | DRI Soft Bicycle 360 | – | 30 % lighter than comparable targets | – | – |
| ADAS target (vehicle) | DRI Soft Car 360 | – | – | – | – |
| Wireless telemetry network | AB Dynamics TrackFi PowerMesh | – | Dual-band wireless mesh network | – | – |
| Pedal robot | AB Dynamics CBAR | – | – | – | – |
| Driving simulator | Ansible Motion aVDS (Advanced Vehicle Driving Simulator) | – | Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) | 2016 | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1982
Founded as a vehicle engineering consultancy for NVH, suspension and software for the automotive industry
- 1985
Delivery of the first PC-based NVH test system to Land Rover
- 1992
Involvement in the suspension design of the McLaren F1; manufacturing of vulcanised rubber suspension components for the entire vehicle series
- 1995
First laboratory test device, the Suspension Parameter Measurement Machine (SPMM), delivered to MIRA
- 1997
First steering robot SR 30 (first directly driven steering robot with Windows software) delivered to Goodyear
- 2001
World's first path-following steering robot delivered to Ford
- 2007
First Driverless Test System delivered to Renault; DRI project for the NHTSA
- 2010
Development of the first crashable ADAS test target (Soft Crash Target), delivered to Daimler
- 2013
IPO on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange as AB Dynamics plc
- 2016
Launch of the Advanced Vehicle Driving Simulator (aVDS)
- 2017
Move to new £9 million company building in the UK
- 2018
Development of the LaunchPad ADAS test platform
- 2019
Launch of Ground Traffic Control (GTC) and ANVH 250; branches in Japan, USA and Germany; DRI and rFpro join the group
- 2020
Launch of the GST 120 ADAS test platform and the Halo Driving Robot
- 2021
Launch of LaunchPad 80; opening of the Engineering Design Centre at the UK headquarters; VadoTech joins the group
- 2022
New soft targets Soft Motorcycle 360 and Soft Pedestrian 360 with DRI; Ansible Motion joins the group
- 2023
Launch of LaunchPad Spin; Ansible Motion becomes the group's sole driving simulator brand