Self-driving (autonomous) cars have already hit the road. The software capability of these vehicles, especially those that regulate automated braking or lane departure warning systems, must continuously meet high quality. Something to keep in mind for sure when you are considering two things - 1) security and 2) vehicle maintenance. This also raises the need for improved automotive cybersecurity solutions as vehicle dynamics change.
"Autonomous vehicles would have to be driven around 200 million kilometers to prove their reliability -- especially for accident scenarios. That is 10,000 times more test kilometers than are required for conventional cars, says Franz Wotawa from the Institute of Software Technology at TU Graz and his team.
Test driving a self-driving car is not enough to provide sufficient evidence on the accident safety systems. In addition, simulated accidents that can place human limbs in danger can never be reproduced in real test drives.
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"Although the tests so far cover many scenarios, the question always remains whether this is sufficient and whether all possible accident scenarios have been considered," says Wotawa. Mihai Nica from the AVL underlines this statement: "in order to test highly autonomous system, it is required to re-think how the automotive industry must validate and certify Advanced Driver Assistance Systes (ADAS) and Autonomous Driving (AD) systems. Therefore, AVL participates with TU Graz to develop a unique and highly efficient method and workflow based on simulation and test case generation for prove fulfillment of Safety Of The Intended Functionality (SOTIF), quality and system integrity requirements of the autonomous systems."
Source: Science Daily