Innovative Testing of Autonomous Control Techniques (INTACT)
What was the challenge?
Autonomous vehicle technology, such as driverless pods, will reduce congestion and accidents on our roads and give more people travel independence. Public confidence in the safety and security of the pods is one of the biggest barriers to the widespread adoption, but testing on public roads in real-world driving situations is expensive and potentially dangerous. In addition, future providers of driverless pod services will need cost-effective and dependable solutions that have been subject to rigorous standardised testing procedures.
What was the solution?
Autonomous Control Systems (ACS) are the brains of the pod, responsible for detecting objects and controlling the vehicle. In the INTACT project, Aurrigo pioneered the development of a low-cost ACS and collaborated with WMG
experts to develop methods for increasing public confidence through advanced testing.WMG developed a novel; methodology to create test scenarios extending research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In addition, the research team developed techniques for completely automating the testing of autonomous vehicles in simulated environments, including WMG’s unique 3XD driving simulator. This suite of test scenarios could be used to inform legislative frameworks and eventual certification of autonomous vehicles.
What was the benefit?

The INTACT project has enabled commercial benefits for Aurrigo, including significantly reducing the costs of their ACS and pods, patenting new
innovations, providing evidence from simulation-based testing for prospective customers, and generated future collaborative research funding through Innovate UK.INTACT has been a platform for WMG to represent the UK on the ISO technical committee on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ISO TC 204 WG14) and to lead development of a new international standard on Low-Speed Automated Driving (LSAD) systems. The research outcomes are also directly contributing to the new Masters Degree in intelligent vehicle technology, WMG MSc in Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.
“Self-driving vehicles will one day benefit all of us. WMG has been delighted to work with a world-leading local company on such exciting and innovative research, the results of which will help bring that day nearer.” - Prof Paul Jennings, Head of Intelligent Vehicles research at WMG
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