By ATN Editorial Team
- The Soft Pedestrian 360 has been approved for use in official Euro NCAP testing
- It is a next-generation VRU ADAS target with market-leading realism
- The target is the latest addition to AB Dynamics Group’s growing range of Euro NCAP-approved test equipment
The Soft Pedestrian™ 360 has been approved for use in official testing by Euro NCAP. The next-generation ADAS target, supplied by AB Dynamics and sister company DRI, can now be used to conduct all of Euro NCAP’s pedestrian adult-based test scenarios.
“We are thrilled that Euro NCAP has approved the Soft Pedestrian 360 for official testing,” said Dr Andrew Pick, Track Test Director at AB Dynamics. “Euro NCAP ADAS testing is expanding and becoming increasingly complex to better reflect real world performance. This necessitates a highly realistic target so we are delighted that our product meets Euro NCAP’s high standards.”
The Soft Pedestrian 360 underwent rigorous assessment to ensure it meets the specific requirements set by Euro NCAP. AB Dynamics also provided certification data and extensive back-to-back test data in collaboration with an established Euro NCAP lab to ensure it was reliable, accurate and effective for ADAS testing.
The pedestrian ADAS target features sophisticated articulation of the knee, hip, shoulder and neck to enhance realism. Actively articulated knees, enabling the hip and knee to move independently of each other, control the gait and allow a greater and more varied range of movement to be reproduced than is possible from a passive system. The gait can be automatically synchronised with the position, speed and acceleration of the target relative to a starting point using the platform’s IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).
“This highly realistic gait is important for vehicle sensor systems to assist in ensuring they correctly categorise it as a pedestrian,” said Pick. “The team at DRI undertook extensive research into gait characteristics to identify and recreate the correct knee and hip articulation angles. As a result, it is the most realistic pedestrian target commercially available.”
To reduce the possibility of damage to the test vehicle, the external hardpoints of the Soft Pedestrian 360 have been minimised and it utilises a modular architecture, which reduces the mass of individual components that could contact the vehicle. The servos operating the limbs and the head of the pedestrian are also completely encased in foam and sit within each component. This means that the vehicle under test is protected when the limbs are disconnected upon impact.
The target also features a novel slipper clutch that stops the servos from being back-driven during a collision which improves durability. The target is also covered in a hard-wearing fabric clothing that prevents the foam core from being worn away or torn apart, maintaining a consistent shape throughout testing. The clothing can be easily and cost-effectively replaced should it become damaged.
“Damage to the vehicle under test, or the target itself, can be a substantial contributor to the total cost of ADAS testing,” said Pick. “More importantly it can cause significant delays in test programmes and lead to wasted track time and idle engineers. At AB Dynamics we aim to make testing as cost-effective and efficient as possible.”
The Soft Pedestrian 360 is the latest addition to AB Dynamics’ portfolio of Euro NCAP-approved test equipment. This also includes ADAS targets, such as the Soft Car 360 and the Soft Motorcycle 360, and the company’s LaunchPad target propulsion systems.
For more information, visit AB Dynamics.
