Teldyne FLIR and Ansys have launched a collaboration to integrate longwave-infrared (LWIR) information into advanced driver assistance and autonomous vehicle systems. The companies announced that Ansys’ AVxcelerate sensor simulation software suite is now offered with Thermal by FLIR, creating a tool for perception engineers and designers to help fast-track the integration of thermal imaging in ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) and AV (autonomous vehicle) sensor stacks, the companies said. Further, the integration will enable engineers to easily simulate millions of miles and difficult-to-produce scenarios where thermal cameras provide critical data, including detecting pedestrians in crowded and low-contrast environments such as fog or smoke. Ansys’ AVxcelerate suite allows sensors to be tested in driving simulators to help engineers and researchers accelerate the integration of thermal imaging in ADAS and AVs. Courtesy of Teledyne FLIR. According to Mike Walters, vice president for product management at Teledyne FLIR, the Ansys AVxcelerate suite targets the conversion of thermal imaging data into life-saving technology. “Organizations ranging from academia to automotive OEMs now have a complete ecosystem from the virtual to the physical world to build life-saving thermal-enabled ADAS and AV systems,” Walters said.