July 14, 2026

Join HBK and VI-grade on September 15–16 in Novi, Michigan for customer presentations, technical sessions, live demonstrations, and exclusive access to one of North America’s leading Driver-in-the-Loop simulation facilities.

VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, together with HBK, announced on July 9^th, the Smart Prototypes Summit 2026 – North America, taking place on September 15–16, 2026, at the Multimatic Vehicle Dynamics Center in Novi, Michigan. Building on the success of the inaugural Smart Prototypes Summit held in Italy earlier this year, HBK and VI-grade are bringing the Smart Testing experience to North America. Attendance is free of charge, and registration is now open.

The North American edition builds on the momentum of the Summit debut in Italy, which drew more than 320 in-person attendees from across the automotive, motorsport, commercial vehicle, tire, and technology sectors. Under the theme “Beyond Zero: Welcome to the Smart Era,” the two-day event showcases the latest innovations in Smart Testing through customer presentations, technical sessions, live demonstrations, and networking – all focused on one question: how simulation and physical testing, working together, enable faster and more confident engineering decisions. The venue is a draw in its own right. The Multimatic Vehicle Dynamics Center houses one of North America’s leading Driver-in-the-Loop simulation facilities, featuring the DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator, recently upgraded with VI-grade’s HyperDock cockpit for Full Spectrum Simulation. Attendees will see the facility in action alongside live demonstrations of HBK’s durability and reliability solutions – a rare opportunity to evaluate these technologies firsthand rather than simply reading about them on a spec sheet.

Day one focuses on VI-grade’s simulation-driven vehicle development technologies, with live demonstrations, technical presentations, and customer success stories spanning vehicle dynamics, NVH, Hardware-in-the-Loop, Driver-in-the-Loop simulation, and ADAS. The day concludes with an informal networking reception where attendees can exchange ideas with peers and industry experts. Day two features dedicated HBK nCode and ReliaSoft User Group sessions, bringing together engineers specializing in durability, fatigue analysis, reliability engineering, and product validation to share practical applications and best practices for improving engineering efficiency and strengthening test-to-simulation correlation.

“The Smart Prototypes Summit was created to be more than a showcase of technology; it’s about bringing together the engineering community to shape the future of testing,” said Guido Bairati, Vice President Global Sales, Simulation & Validation Business Unit at HBK. “What we witnessed in Italy confirmed that Smart Testing is no longer a vision for the future; it’s already transforming how vehicles are developed today. By bringing the Summit to North America, we’re creating another opportunity for OEMs, suppliers, technology partners, and research organizations to share experiences, connect virtual and physical testing, and accelerate the transition toward smarter, more data-driven engineering.”

Attendance is free of charge, but seating is limited and early registration is recommended. For more information and to register, visit the event landing page.

About VI-grade

VI-grade is a global provider of disruptive vehicle development solutions that help engineering teams move faster, reduce dependency on late-stage physical prototypes and make better decisions through Smart Testing.

Its human-centric solutions include industry-leading real-time simulation software, professional driving simulators and Hardware-in-the-Loop solutions that connect virtual development, physical testing and data-driven validation across the transportation industry.

VI-grade’s scalable driving simulators cover a wide performance range to assess the multi-disciplinary driving experience, from vehicle dynamics and ride comfort to NVH, ADAS and full-vehicle integration. By combining simulation, physical data and integrated workflows, VI-grade enables OEMs, suppliers, research centers, motorsport teams and universities to accelerate innovation, improve correlation and bring smarter products to market faster.

VI-grade is part of Hottinger Brüel & Kjær (HBK), whose testing and measurement solutions give engineers around the world the accurate, up-to-date data they need to bring higher-quality products to market faster. HBK empowers innovators by providing exceptional sensing and insights to help create solutions for a cleaner, healthier and more productive world.

About HBK

HBK (Hottinger Brüel & Kjær) is the global leader in test and measurement, combining expertise in physical and virtual testing to deliver integrated solutions that power innovation across industries. With a unique end-to-end approach, HBK helps customers create actionable intelligence by connecting data from sensors, data acquisition, and simulation into unified digital workflows.