Maha developing test benches for autonomous vehicles

Workshop equipment supplier Maha, has partnered with technology firm dSpace to develop test benches for periodic technical inspections and functional tests of automated and autonomous vehicles in workshops.

With the jointly developed test benches, Maha says testing organisations or workshops can examine the safety and function of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles (AD) using vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) test procedures and ensure this throughout the entire life cycle.

The project aims to meet the challenges that automated and software-defined vehicles pose for testing organisations and workshops.

According to both companies, a vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) test system presents a cost-effective solution that enables fast, reliable, and easy-to-use tests. In a VIL test, the real vehicle perceives a virtual world via its ADAS/AD sensors. Accelerating, steering, and braking are possible just like on the road, thanks to the chassis dynamometer.

Any number of scenarios, such as motorway driving, city traffic, and critical driving maneuvers, can be simulated in this way. Equipped with the VIL test system from Maha and dSpace, test organisations and workshops can, for example, reliably test the behaviour of a vehicle during emergency braking and lane changes.

“Functional and periodic technical tests of ADAS and AD systems increase the safety and acceptance of automated and autonomous vehicles. With the joint offering from Maha and dSpace, we are creating a cost-effective solution for the reliable testing of such systems throughout the entire product lifecycle,” said Dr. Carsten Hoff, CEO, dSpace.

“Furthermore, our aim is to offer testing organisations and workshops more than just a cost-efficient solution. Close cooperation between dSpace and Maha has resulted in a system that can be seamlessly integrated into existing workshop structures, is technically expandable, and thus offers a future-proof perspective – for maximum safety and maximum efficiency in the testing process,” added Dr. Peter Geigle, CEO of the Maha Group.