NI showcased an integrated ADAS testing environment combining virtual environment and hardware sensor integration together with Global Testing Alliance members at the Automotive Testing Expo held at KINTEX in Ilsan from March 13-15.

To implement virtual environment simulation, Inno Simulation and IPG Korea constructed a 3 km area around Sangam-dong, and this virtual environment was configured to include an actual vehicle environment where real drivers can operate. Germany-based Konrad demonstrated VRTS (Vehicle Radar Test Simulation) using NI's VST (vector signal transfer) and VDG (Vector delay generator) hardware along with an mmWave head, enabling Continental's radar sensor to work in conjunction with the simulation and detect targets as an actual radar would. This enables ADAS testing in various scenarios.

Additionally, for testing eCall, an emergency alert service being deployed in Europe and Russia, Japan-based Anritsu's eCall Function test equipment and NI's GPS system collaborated to configure the simulation such that in the event of an accident, vehicle driver information such as vehicle location and number of occupants would be transmitted via telephone call.

Kim Jong-woo, a manager at NI who oversaw the entire simulation system on this occasion, stated: "At this Automotive Testing Expo, we wanted to demonstrate the full-function ADAS system testing in collaboration with various global companies partnering with NI using actual environments and real sensors."

Particularly regarding the radar portion of NI's equipment, Manager Kim Jong-woo noted that in current autonomous vehicles, the concept of sensor fusion means multiple diverse sensors are used simultaneously in a vehicle and operated by individual ECUs, making it difficult for a single company to supply all products.

To address this, NI has formed a collaborative partner consortium with Germany's ADAS iiT (innovation in Test) group capable of accommodating diverse vehicle testing requirements. Currently, they are implementing and applying comprehensive data for camera, radar, HIL (Hardware in the Loop), and driving with related companies at German automotive company AUDI.

Neils Koch, AUDI's radar component manager, mentioned that "the combination of Konrad's software and NI's vector signal transceiver was the ultimate factor that enabled us to identify bugs by utilizing software we had not been aware of previously."

Manager Kim Jong-woo stated that "this comprehensive radar test system from NI and Konrad is being applied not only as a higher-level research platform within Korea but also for single radar-based specialized target production testing."

When asked about the achievements from this exhibition participation, Manager Kim Jong-woo responded: "From a tester's perspective, I wondered whether such an era would come so quickly, but I can confirm that sensor performance itself is rapidly improving, and the reliability of sensing data has increased significantly through dual sensing via sensor fusion." He also noted: "Through meetings with over 15 VIP customers, we confirmed that requirements necessary for autonomous driving—ranging from higher-level platform research, sensor manufacturing, ADAS validation, sensor fusion, to in-vehicle data logging—are rapidly increasing."