Before revision:  However, unpredictable weather can make real-world testing in adverse conditions  an expensive and time consuming task requiring access to specialist facilities , and weatherproofing of sensitive electronics. Simulation provides an alternative to real world testing, with some studies developing increasingly visually realistic representations of the real world on powerful compute hardware.
After revision:  However, unpredictable weather can make real-world testing in adverse conditions an expensive and time consuming task requiring access to specialist facilities . Simulation is commonly relied upon as a substitute, with increasingly visually realistic representations of the real world on powerful compute hardware.