Testing Infrastructure

[raivo.sell][✓ raivo.sell, 2025-09-18]

As discussed earlier, generic V&V process consists of testing the product under test within the ODD. This is generally done with a number of techniques. The central paradigm is to generate a test, execute the test, and have a clear criteria for correctness. Three major styles of intelligent test generation are currently active: physical testing, real-world seeding, and virtual testing.

1. Physical Testing :Typically, physical scaling is the most expensive method to verify functionality. However, Tesla has built a flow where their existing fleet is a large distributed testbed. Using this fleet, Tesla's approach to autonomous driving uses a sophisticated data pipeline and deep learning system designed to process vast amounts of sensor data efficiently. In this flow, the scenario under construction is the one driven by the driver, and the criterion for correctness is the driver's corrective action. Behind the scenes, the global verification flow can be managed by large databases and supercomputers (DoJo) . By employing this methodology, Tesla knows that its scenarios are always valid. However, there are challenges with this approach. First, the real world moves very slowly in terms of new unique situations. Second, by definition the scenarios seen are very much tied to the market presence of Tesla, so not predictive of new situations. Finally, the process of capturing data, discerning an error, and building corrective action is non-trivial. At the extreme, this process is akin to taking crash logs from broken computers, diagnosing them, and building the fixes.
2. Real-World Seeding: Another line of test generation is to use physical situations as a seed for further virtual testing. Pegasus, the seminal project initiated in Germany, took such an approach. The project emphasized a scenario-based testing methodology which used observed data from real-world conditions as a base. Another similar effort comes from Warwick University with a focus on test environments, safety analysis, scenario-based testing, and safe AI. One of the contributions from Warwick is Safety Pool Scenario Database. Databases and seeding methods, especially of interesting situations, offer some value, but of course, their completeness is not clear. Further, databases of tests are very susceptible to be over optimized by AI algorithms.
3. Virtual Testing: Another important contribution was ASAM OpenSCENARIO 2.0 which is a domain-specific language designed to enhance the development, testing, and validation of Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Automated Driving Systems (ADS). A high-level language allows for a symbolic higher level description of the scenario with an ability to grow in complexity by rules of composition. Underneath the symbolic apparatus are pseudo-random test generation which can scale the scenario generation process. The randomness also offers a chance to expose “unknown-unknown” errors.

Beyond component validation, there have been proposed solutions specifically for autonomous systems such as UL 4600, “Standard for Safety for the Evaluation of Autonomous Products.” Similar to ISO 26262/SOTIF, UL 4600 has a focus on safety risks across the full lifecycle of the product and introduces a structured “safety case” approach. The crux of this methodology is to document and justify how autonomous systems meet safety goals. It also emphasizes the importance of identifying and validating against a wide range of real-world scenarios, including edge cases and rare events. There is also a focus on including human-machine interactions.

What kind of testing infrastructure is required to execute on these various methodologies ?

The baseline for automotive physical testing are facilities for crash testing, road variations, and weather effects. These are generally in private and shared test tracks around the world. For autonomy, several levels of test infrastructure have emerged around the topics of sensors, test tracks, and virtual simulation.

Figure: Anechoic Chamber

For sensors, important equipment includes: - Anechoic Chambers: These chambers are characterized by their anechoic (echo-free) interior, meaning they are designed to completely absorb sound or electromagnetic waves to eliminate reflections from the walls, ceiling, and sometimes the floor. - Fully Anechoic Chambers (FAC): These chambers have all interior surfaces (walls, ceiling, and floor) covered with RF absorbing materials, creating an environment free from reflections. They are ideal for high-precision measurements like antenna testing or situations where a free-space environment is needed. - Semi-Anechoic Chambers (SAC): In this type, the walls and ceiling are covered with absorbing materials, while the floor remains reflective (often a metal ground plane). This reflective floor helps simulate real-world environments, such as devices operating on the ground. Semi-anechoic chambers are commonly used for general EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) testing. - RF Shielded Rooms (Faraday Cages): These are enclosed rooms designed to block the entry or exit of electromagnetic radiation. They are constructed with a conductive shield (typically copper or other metals) around the walls, ceiling, and floor, minimizing the entry or exit of electromagnetic interference (EMI). They are a fundamental component of many EMI testing facilities. - Reverberation Chambers: These chambers intentionally use resonances and reflections within the chamber to create a statistically uniform electromagnetic field. They can accommodate larger and more complex test setups and are particularly useful for immunity testing where the device is exposed to interference from all directions. However, their performance can be limited at lower frequencies.

Figure: Zalazone Autonomous Test Track

In terms of test tracks, traditional test tracks which were used for purposes for mechanical testing have been extended for testing autonomy functions. A recent example shown in the figure above is ZalaZONE, a large test track located in Hungary. ZalaZONE integrates both conventional vehicle testing infrastructure and next-generation smart mobility features. One of its standout components is the Smart City Zone, which simulates real-world urban environments with intersections, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings, and public transport scenarios. This allows for comprehensive testing of urban-level autonomy, V2X communication, and AI-driven mobility solutions in a controlled yet realistic environment. The facility includes a dedicated highway and rural road section to support the evaluation of higher-speed autonomous functions such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, and safe overtaking. A high-speed oval enables long-duration endurance testing and consistent-speed trials for autonomous or connected vehicles. The dynamic platform provides a flat, open space for vehicle dynamics testing, such as automated emergency braking, evasive maneuvers, and trajectory planning, while both wet and dry handling courses allow for testing on varied friction surfaces under critical scenarios. ZalaZONE is also equipped with advanced V2X and 5G infrastructure, including roadside units (RSUs) and edge computing systems, to enable real-time communication and data exchange between vehicles and infrastructure—critical for cooperative driving and sensor validation. Additionally, an off-road section supports testing for SUVs, military vehicles, and trucks in rough terrain conditions. The facility is complemented by EMC testing capabilities and plans for climate-controlled testing chambers, enhancing its support for environmental and regulatory testing. ZalaZONE also provides integration with simulation and digital twin environments. Through platforms such as IPG CarMaker and AVL tools, developers can carry out software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing in parallel with on-track validation.

Figure: Carla Simulator

Finally, a great deal of simulation is done virtually. Simulation plays a critical role in the development and validation of autonomous vehicles (AVs), allowing developers to test perception, planning, and control systems in a wide range of scenarios without physical risk. Among the most prominent tools is CARLA, an open-source simulator built for academic and research use, known for its realistic urban environments, support for various sensors (LiDAR, radar, cameras), and integration with ROS. It’s widely adopted for prototyping and reinforcement learning in AVs. In the commercial space, “rFpro” is a leading choice for OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers, offering photorealistic environments and precise sensor modeling with sub-millimeter accuracy—essential for validating sensor fusion algorithms. Similarly, “IPG CarMaker” and “dSPACE ASM” provide powerful closed-loop environments ideal for testing vehicle dynamics and ADAS features, especially in hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) setups. These tools are tightly integrated with MATLAB/Simulink and real-time hardware for embedded control testing. For large-scale and safety-critical simulations, platforms like “VIRES VTD” and “Applied Intuition” are favored due to their compliance with industry standards like ASAM OpenX and ISO 26262, and their ability to model thousands of edge-case scenarios. “NVIDIA DRIVE Sim”, built on the Omniverse platform, is used to generate synthetic data for training and validating neural networks and digital twins, offering GPU-accelerated realism that aids perception system testing. Finally, simulators like “Cognata” and “MathWorks' Automated Driving Toolbox” serve niche but critical roles—Cognata provides city-scale environments for scenario testing and safety validation, while MathWorks' tools are widely used for algorithm development and control prototyping, especially in academia and early-stage design. Each simulator has a specific focus—some prioritize sensor realism, others full-system integration or large-scale scenario generation—so selection depends on whether the goal is research, real-time control testing, or safety validation for deployment.