Skip to main content

AB Dynamics platform adds cyclists and pedestrians to ADAS and AV testing

UK-based AB Dynamics (ABD) has released its LaunchPad platform with the intention of offering choreographed control of all mobile features involved in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle testing. The solution, according to Jeremy Ash, the company’s commercial manager, will help create complex scenarios that potentially involve multiple pedestrians, cyclists and cars that are all synchronised and coordinated with the test vehicle. LaunchPad’s power controller runs on the comp
March 27, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
UK-based AB Dynamics (ABD) has released its LaunchPad platform with the intention of offering choreographed control of all mobile features involved in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle testing. The solution, according to Jeremy Ash, the company’s commercial manager, will help create complex scenarios that potentially involve multiple pedestrians, cyclists and cars that are all synchronised and coordinated with the test vehicle.


LaunchPad’s power controller runs on the company’s Robot Controller software. The proprietary TrackFi radio shares position data with other ABD controllers via the Syncrho interface, which aims to allow its motion to be synchronised with the test vehicle and other ADAS targets. The self-propelled chassis, at 65mm height, is said to carry pedestrian, cyclist, moped, scooter and animal dummies at speeds up to 50kph.

The trajectory of the system can be programmed using a graphical path generation utility to help simplify the process of creating and running complex scenarios with multiple moving objects.

In addition, the aluminium chassis comes with shallow sloping sides that allow it to be repeatedly run over. Batteries can be replaced without removing the target.
 
“LaunchPad has taken us a further step towards testing ADAS performance under every potential scenario that could arise, able to represent even the unpredictable behaviour of an animal on the highway. It’s one reason why 100% of 6437 Euro NCAP test laboratories use our products for ADAS testing”, Ash added.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Parcels giant DPD UK takes on new Sunrise IT Service Management (ITSM) SaaS to keep things on track and on time
    January 18, 2018
    Sunrise Software has won a contract to supply the parcel delivery group DPD with its IT Service Management (ITSM) SaaS solution to help keep things on track and on time. The package will provide “an easy to use, adaptable and intuitive interface to log and manage incidents for employee and contractual customer support,” says Sunrise. This “includes a self-service portal for end-users.” The new system will be used to support DPD’s 10,000-strong UK staff, its 22,000 business customers and millions of parcel
  • Microgrids & the new power generation
    August 31, 2021
    Public transportation agencies are turning to microgrids to provide critical resilience in the event of local and regional power interruptions. Gordon Feller looks at projects in Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts
  • Iteris explores intelligent infrastructure 
    April 30, 2021
    Iteris and Continental will utilise automotive sensors and I2V connectivity
  • Bolt partners with Tartu University on self-driving tech
    September 5, 2019
    Ride-sharing company Bolt has joined forces with the University of Tartu (UT) in Estonia to develop technology for SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicles (AV). The partners intend to carry out AV pilots in urban areas and integrate AVs onto Bolt’s on-demand transportation platform by 2026. Jevgeni Kabanov, chief product officer at Bolt - formerly Taxify - says: “Rather than developing our own vehicle, the goal of this project is to build our self-driving technology with a focus on software and maps, on top of ex