By ATN Editorial Team
Summary: Euro NCAP has officially listed AB Dynamics’ complete range of Euro NCAP ADAS targets, after approving the child version of the Soft Pedestrian 360. Developed by sister company DRI, the child target is a durable, realistic surrogate for testing collision avoidance and AEB systems involving child pedestrians, and its approval means every target the company sells, from pedestrian and bicycle to motorcycle and vehicle surrogates, is now authorised for official Euro NCAP laboratory use.
Key engineering takeaway: The Child Soft Pedestrian 360 reuses the adult target’s modular architecture to keep individual component mass low, and fully encases the leg-articulation servos in foam so there are no exposed hard points to damage a test vehicle. To make the target read correctly to the sensors behind the Euro NCAP ADAS targets, DRI tuned its reflectivity using in-house radar and lidar measurement systems and gave it an age-specific gait that is automatically synchronised to the target’s position, speed and acceleration.
Why it matters: Euro NCAP’s 2026 protocols have grown sharply in scope and complexity, and test teams now need a wide spread of equipment to cover every scenario. AB Dynamics argues the value is in sourcing the full Euro NCAP ADAS targets line, plus platforms, driving robots and control software, from a single supplier designed to work together, which raises uptime and removes multi-vendor integration. For test engineers, that single-supplier approach is the practical story behind this latest listing.
- The Child version of the Soft Pedestrian 360 has been officially approved by Euro NCAP.
- AB Dynamics’ complete range of ADAS targets is now listed for use in Euro NCAP testing.
- AB Dynamics supplies an end-to-end Euro NCAP ADAS testing solution, including an extensive library of pre-configured and validated test scenarios.
Euro NCAP approves full suite of AB Dynamics ADAS targets
Euro NCAP has officially listed AB Dynamics’ complete range of ADAS targets following the approval of the child version of the Soft Pedestrian 360™. Developed by sister company DRI, the Soft Pedestrian 360 Child is a realistic and durable target designed specifically for testing collision avoidance and AEB systems involving child pedestrians.
Its approval means the full range of targets sold by AB Dynamics is now authorised for official testing by Euro NCAP laboratories. The targets, produced by DRI, include pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle, and vehicle surrogates. AB Dynamics also supplies a comprehensive range of Euro NCAP approved ADAS platforms, including the SPT™ belt-driven platform, the self-propelled LaunchPad™ VRU platform range and the GST™ vehicle platforms.
“Euro NCAP’s test protocols have expanded significantly in both scope and complexity in 2026,” said Dr Andrew Pick, Business Director, Track Test Systems at AB Dynamics. “The variety of scenarios requires test teams to have an extensive range of test equipment to complete all the assessments. AB Dynamics is the only company that provides everything required for Euro NCAP testing, from the targets and platforms to the driving robots and control software, all from a single supplier designed to work together seamlessly. This integrated approach increases uptime and simplifies testing, it also means customers don’t need to integrate equipment from multiple sources.”
Inside The Child Soft Pedestrian 360 Target
The Soft Pedestrian 360 Child is the latest product to be approved by Euro NCAP for testing. It was created to meet the growing demand for more representative child pedestrian targets in safety testing. It uses the same modular architecture as the adult version to reduce the mass of any individual components and the servos operating the articulating legs are completely encased in foam. This design ensures there are no exposed hard points and reduces the risk of damage to the test vehicle.
To optimise realism, the target underwent significant on-track testing, using in-house-developed radar and lidar measurement systems, to tune the reflectivity of the target. It also features an age-specific gait that replicates a walking child. The movement is automatically synchronised with the position, speed and acceleration of the target relative to a starting point. This combination means that the target accurately represents a child pedestrian to sensor perception systems.
AB Dynamics provides a complete end-to-end solution for Euro NCAP ADAS testing. Its ADAS targets and platforms work seamlessly with driving robots to precisely control the speed and direction of the vehicle under test, while Synchro™ software choreographs the vehicle and targets with centimetre-level accuracy. A library of pre-configured Euro NCAP tests enables teams to automate the testing process and receive validated, real-time pass/fail results. This integrated approach improves efficiency, reduces costs, and helps test teams manage the growing demands of increasingly complex protocols.
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