Simulation Scenario – simulation-based platform for autonomous vehicles

Aim and goal

The project aims at developing a simulation-based test method through a common scenario simulation engine and a common toolchain. The goal is to support development, verification and validation of functionalities for automated vehicles.

Challenge

Today real cars are used for verification and validation, but the rapid pace of development makes this costlier and less attractive. Due to safety issues and difficulties to create repeatable and controllable test environments there is a desire to move towards simulated scenarios. There is a lack of common processes and tools to create virtual roads and traffic scenarios which makes it difficult to share test cases and analyze results in different simulation environments.

Solution

The project focuses on the open standard OpenSCENARIO to develop a common scenario engine and a common toolchain.

Effect

It is necessary for the whole transport sector to move into simulation-based traffic scenarios and have common processes and standards. It makes it possible to test and evaluate functionalities very early in the development process and to support the overall verification and validation processes. By the results from the project the different stakeholders will be able to share key scenarios and accelerate the whole development process and better support continuous development & integration by using highly automated and repeatable test scenarios. In a longer perspective the project takes the first steps towards scenario-based certification within NHTSA and EuroNCAP.