Automotive test solution supplier AB Dynamics has introduced automated capabilities that enable OEMs and test houses to significantly reduce the time and complexity of testing the latest ADAS protocols from Euro NCAP and NHTSA.
The latest update to AB Dynamics’ Track Applications Suite expands its ‘Special Groups’ library to include full automation for Euro NCAP’s new heavy vehicle ADAS test scenarios and NHTSA’s FMVSS 127 standard. The pre-defined test scenario library automates the creation, set-up, variation, execution and verification of industry-standard active safety protocols when combined with AB Dynamics’ driving robots, ADAS targets and other test equipment.
“The introduction of new industry-standard test scenarios is good news for the continued improvement in road safety, but it does place a significant resource burden on OEMs and test houses,” said Dr Andrew Pick, director of track testing at AB Dynamics. “Our latest Track Applications Suite update addresses these challenges by automating complex calculations and synchronisation tasks that would otherwise demand hours of manual preparation, improving the efficiency of testing for the industry.”
The Track Application Suite 2025a update adds 611 new test scenarios to the extensive Special Groups library. This includes 400 Euro NCAP heavy vehicle tests and 211 tests to support FMVSS 127. This brings the total number of pre-defined, automated active safety test scenarios in the library – which also covers Euro NCAP, China NCAP, Japan NCAP, NHTSA EU and UN test protocols – to over 3,100.
Euro NCAP’s new heavy vehicle ADAS test program includes complex scenarios, such as the Heavy Goods Bicycle Nearside Turn Across Path (HBNTAP). It requires the vehicle to be driven at a constant speed to a precise path cutting across the bicycle target. The maneuverability of heavy vehicles, particularly when accelerating from a standstill, can be inconsistent. Driving robots manage the whole process, the driver only needs to accelerate the vehicle up to speed and then transfer control to the driving robots to conduct the test.
Euro NCAP’s heavy vehicle protocol also includes ‘sensitivity scenarios’, which aim to assess the robustness of a vehicle’s ADAS in more challenging, non-ideal situations and not just in test conditions. They require accurate and precisely timed steering inputs before the vehicle’s AEB is activated.
NHTSA’s FMVSS 127 is a regulation mandating that passenger vehicles and trucks in the USA must be fitted with AEB as standard by 2029. This new regulation has the highest speed requirements in the industry (90mph). AB Dynamics says its software incorporates customizable abort procedures, which automatically stop tests when specific triggers are met, helping prevent or mitigate collisions.
AB Dynamics’ Post Processor software, integrated within the Track Applications Suite, provides real-time, trackside results within minutes of test completion. This immediate feedback confirms the test validity and results. This enables test engineers to optimize test programs and adjust sensor systems based on actual performance data while in the field.
With the recent introduction of the Soft Bicycle 360 to its product portfolio, AB Dynamics provides a complete solution for Euro NCAP heavy vehicle ADAS testing, including heavy vehicle-compatible driving robots.