Nexen Tire has established a 'high dynamic' driving simulator at its central research institute, The NexenUniverCity, in Magok, Seoul.

Claimed to be the first of its kind in Korean tire sector, the system is expected to help Nexen advance tire R&D with virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

The system can be given vehicle specifications and parameters such as road condition to simulates "real-world conditions in a virtual environment," said Nexen.

This enables the testing of acceleration, steering response, braking, and other performance metrics in a variety of driving conditions.

With the new equipment, Nexen expects to minimise "unnecessary trial-and-error", reduce prototype production and real vehicle testing, and accelerate innovation while cutting costs.

"By replacing costly and time-intensive physical road tests with virtual evaluations, engineers can conduct more precise tire development within limited space and in various conditions, "it added.

Nexen also expects the simulator help it meet OE performance requirements and particularly strengthen its tire development for new concept and high-performance vehicles.

Furthermore, fewer prototypes and physical testing will contribute to lowering fossil fuel use and support the tire maker's ESG commitments.

Building on this, Nexen said it plans to 'gradually establish' a "full virtual development process"that integrates finite element method (FEM) analysis and AI technologies.

The long-term goal, it said, is to replace "all tests with simulation-based validation."