At EasyMile, ensuring our autonomous technology performs reliably in every situation starts well before a vehicle ever hits the road. That responsibility lies with the Simulation team - a group of experts dedicated to testing and perfecting the technology in virtual environments designed to mirror real-world conditions.
What simulation does
The Simulation team builds high-fidelity digital environments that allow us to test how autonomous vehicles behave in both everyday and highly complex scenarios. These range from navigating around pedestrians and buildings to reacting to sudden obstacles, poor weather conditions, low visibility, or transporting heavy cargo loads.
Whether it's simulating a foggy morning in an industrial park, a blocked path on a business campus, or the fast-changing dynamics of an airport tarmac, the simulator can recreate it all. Everything is modeled at real-life scale and speed to ensure authenticity and effectiveness.
How it works
What makes the simulation system powerful is its direct connection to the autonomous driving stack - the same one used in the vehicles. The team integrates hardware and software components, connecting real cables to computers that replicate actual operations. There's even a robot that tests new versions of the simulator itself, verifying system compatibility and ensuring each update maintains our high standards.
The team behind it
The Simulation team is made up of a diverse group of specialists working together to bridge the virtual and physical worlds:
- Software engineers develop the simulation platform and integrate realistic driving behaviors, including how the vehicle's sensors perceive and respond to its environment.
- Graphic designers recreate real-world locations such as airports, campuses, and industrial zones with high precision.
- Project coordinators keep everything aligned across teams, ensuring simulation is embedded throughout the development lifecycle.
- Hardware specialists build and manage the physical setup that connects our simulations to the actual vehicle systems.
- Developers are also currently tailoring the simulator for our newest solution, EZDolly, enabling it to accurately reflect the unique handling characteristics of cargo loads, braking distances, and dynamic weight shifts.
Why it matters
By simulating thousands of hours of driving in countless scenarios, the team helps us test more safely, iterate faster, and deliver robust, real-world-ready autonomous systems. Simulation enables EasyMile to reduce risk, accelerate development, and ensure each solution meets the highest standards before it ever moves any cargo.
This is the unseen engine powering our progress - helping us build and deploy autonomous vehicles that are prepared for anything.