MiRE, A Mixed Reality Environment for Testing of Automated Driving Functions

Abstract

Scenario-based proving ground testing has been established as the standard test environment for the homologation of driver assistance systems. These test procedures are described, for example, in the New Car Assessment Programme test catalog, which only considers a limited number of possible scenarios. Furthermore, pedestrian targets are, among others, used to test assistance systems for protection against vulnerable road users (VRUs). However, these targets also have the disadvantage that they only represent humans in a simplified way and cannot depict realistic movement patterns. On the other hand, simulation has been established as an efficient means of realizing scenarios in a reproducible, time- and cost-saving manner. However, simulation has a major disadvantage: it can only represent reality to a limited extent, e.g., in the influence of human factors in response to hazardous situations. To bridge the gap between simulation and real-world testing, we introduce MiRE, a mixed reality environment for testing automated driving functions. In MiRE, real entities meet in a virtual environment and take advantage of real and simulated test procedures. This paper presents MiRE, a proof of concept based on a modular architecture. The goal is to use it to evaluate the feasibility of testing in mixed reality – by comparing it to proving ground testing. Preliminary results show that MiRE is a suitable environment for testing complex scenarios where the real vehicle and VRUs can safely interact in safety-critical situations and produce realistic results.