In the ever-evolving world of automotive technology, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of safety systems such as ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) is paramount. As these systems become more sophisticated, manufacturers are turning to advanced techniques to validate and improve their performance.
One such approach is being taken by Volvo, who is utilizing a combination of virtual environments and real-world testing to develop and validate their safety systems. By using advanced imaging techniques like ‘Gaussian splatting’, engineers are able to analyze data collected from the sensors of production cars in a more detailed and realistic manner.
This new approach allows for the creation of highly realistic 3D scenes from real-world images, which can then be manipulated and explored from different angles. Engineers can modify elements within the virtual environment, such as road users and obstacles, to test various scenarios and outcomes.
By subjecting safety software to a wide range of traffic situations in a virtual environment, Volvo is able to accelerate the testing process and expose the systems to rare and potentially dangerous ‘edge cases’ much faster than before. This method proves to be invaluable in identifying and addressing any potential issues with the ADAS software.
In a similar fashion, Porsche has also developed innovative techniques to improve their ADAS software validation process. Manual validation, which involves a development engineer comparing the readings of the ADAS system with real-world data, is becoming increasingly labor-intensive and time-consuming.
To streamline this process, Porsche has introduced the ComBox app, which works in conjunction with an image-recognition app from Peregrine.ai on a smartphone. If there is a discrepancy between a road sign recognized by the image-recognition app and the ADAS system, the Peregrine.ai app captures a photo of the sign along with the vehicle data, which is then stored for further analysis.
By leveraging these advanced techniques and technologies, manufacturers like Volvo and Porsche are able to enhance the accuracy and reliability of their safety systems, ensuring that ADAS functions as expected in a wide range of real-world scenarios.
