AB Dynamics has introduced a new Guided Soft Target (GST) vehicle, the GST120, capable of safe testing at highway speeds up to 120kmph.
The GST120 brings a new level of performance to its portfolio of ADAS test systems, incorporating ABS braking and the latest version of its sophisticated control software. GST is an established test tool used to reproduce real-world driving scenarios on vehicle test tracks, essential in developing driver assistance technology. It takes the place of a real vehicle during the evaluation of vehicle collision detection and crash mitigation systems and can sustain a collision without damage to itself or other vehicles. The GST has comparable visual and radar characteristics to a real vehicle, enabling the test vehicle's sensor systems to be reliably tested.
The GST consists of a dummy vehicle called the Soft Car 360 fixed to a remotely operated platform. Made from collapsible foam pieces Soft Car has been adopted by Euro NCAP and NHTSA as the global vehicle target for ADAS testing. The platform carries the Soft Car dummy vehicle and can be overrun by another vehicle without damage.
AB Dynamics developed the GST120 in response to customer demand for a moving test vehicle target that can travel at highway speeds and stop rapidly to test increasingly complex high-speed scenarios used in the development of sophisticated driver assistance systems.
Key advances in the GST120 include a 120 km/h top speed, an increased battery capacity, and an anti-lock braking system, all of which make the GST120 ideal for current and future test requirements increasingly focussed on autonomous driving.
The GST120's 4.8kWh battery is the largest of any platform available on the market, enabling extended uninterrupted testing. The addition of ABS enables rapid deceleration, which is required to safely test emergency braking systems' performance in high-speed car-to-car following scenarios.
Dr Andrew Pick, Track Testing Director at AB Dynamics, said, 'As manufacturers make the transition from driver assistance to full autonomy, a higher degree of testing and verification is necessary, including safe testing at higher speeds than just the typical urban scenario. The GST120 retains all the convenience features of our existing self-propelled GST vehicles, such as being rebuildable in under eight minutes and minimising collision damage to the test vehicle, but comes with an extended speed capability and an enhanced range of software tools.'
The GST's software includes a variety of new tools specifically aimed at developing highway scenarios as well as post-processing and graphing software utilities within a single integrated environment. These improve efficiency, reduce processing time and support the typical scenarios required for ADAS and autonomous vehicle testing.
'