ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - January 2023 - 19

Connected Vehicle
Test vehicles are controlled by a number of onboard components that constantly communicate with the Mobius software.
Judd said that the Swarming technology allows
multiple fully robotic scenario-inducing vehicles to
simultaneously test multiple ADAS components in
highly repeatable fashion on test surfaces like those at
OEM proving facilities. Those robot-driven vehicles
- and the OEM models being tested - are monitored
by the Mobius software. So, for instance, in a
scenario where two OEM vehicles are in separate lanes,
ASI-robot-controlled vehicles could simultaneously
test responses to being " cut off " by a vehicle while also
overtaking another vehicle.
In most tests, Mobius controls the test vehicle
until it is up to speed and in the correct position.
The software then hands over control to the ADASequipped
vehicle being tested. Those scenarios can be
directly imported from simulations, enabling nearreal-world
testing of the simulation results.
Why is this robotic approach an important
option? The robotic systems are capable of far more
accurately and repeatedly matching the positioning
of simulations than are human-driven vehicles, especially
at high speeds. For instance, in a simple test to
determine an adaptive cruise control's response to an
aggressive cut-in, the cut-in distance between vehicles
decreases as speeds increase. It's just another scenario
for the robot driver - but a human driver might involuntarily
attempt to make the maneuver safer.
This, Judd said, tests entire ADAS, and not just
individual components. " It's safe, repeatable testing
that is a key step to the future, " he said. " Any realistic
testing of ADAS requires highly competent professional
drivers. The robots are those professional drivers. " The
robots also are capable of performing multiple tests
without fatigue, increasing testing efficiency and
allowing concurrent testing of component durability.
A " smart stopping " feature allows Mobius to use
vehicle-to-vehicle communication to halt all vehicles
(including OEM test vehicles) safely in the event a test
strays beyond parameters or becomes otherwise unsafe.
Jed Judd, ASI Automotive's automotive project manager.
A May 2022 study by AAA said that while driver
assistance systems generally are improving in slower-speed
and " obvious " scenarios, such as a vehicle
stopping suddenly in front of another vehicle, that more
progress must be made in more-difficult scenarios,
such as a wrong-way driver or a vehicle ahead changing
lanes to suddenly reveal a stationary vehicle.
" We can rapidly test these edge-case scenarios, "
Judd said. " At the end of the day, our solution lets you
test the vehicles and not their human drivers. "
ASI states that the Mobius Swarming software can
control up to 20 vehicles at a time and test at speeds of
25 to 75 mph (40 to 120 km/h). The software also can
coordinate multiple scenarios and switch to new ones
with a single click.
The company also has its own proving grounds
and currently is testing in the " [SAE] L2-plus arena
with a major OEM, " for ADAS production validation,
Judd said, asserting that Swarming is ready to move
on to testing at SAE Level 3 and higher. ■
ADAS & AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEERING
January 2023 19
ASI
ASI

ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - January 2023