Project

Objectives

RobustSENSE develops a robust and reliable platform for automated driving. This platform addresses the problem that today’s driver assistance systems stop working in harsh environmental conditions. RobustSENSE enables better system operation by combining several independent subsystems to an integrated and comprehensive solution.

RobustSENSE aims at enhancing the robustness of all sensing methods and algorithms required for advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving. The project will contribute to enhanced road safety with a more reliable, secure and trustable sensor platform:

  • Reliable for safe operation under all driving conditions.
  • Improving operability by self-diagnosis, adaptation and robustness.
  • Trustable on every level of assistance and automated driving systems.

Impact

Towards autonomous driving

Without strong technology to enable automated driving in all weather and light conditions, truly autonomous vehicles on the streets will not become reality. Therefore, the capability of the sensing systems to cope with adverse weather and light conditions like sun-flare, rain and snow is on the top of the respective research agenda.

The race towards the first truly autonomously driving vehicle is on. Various companies and consortia all over the world have shown prototypes. Some of them have already covered thousands of kilometres on public roads.

To stay ahead of competition, European industry needs to improve innovation capacity. Combined knowledge can provide a significant leap forward in technology.

RobustSENSE will considerably extend knowledge in the field of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems performance by bringing in the experience of a strong consortium with a long lasting history in this area.

Bring together the world of digital data and transportation

Electronic components and systems in the mobility sector are getting increasingly complex. Intelligence is gradually introduced into vehicles as sensors are conceiving the surrounding environment.

RobustSENSE embraces this development and presents a whole system approach to the problem of robustness and reliability. To achieve that, the project brings together experts from two worlds: digital data and transportation.

This advances research on two levels:

  • Foster the transition of new knowledge and ideas from computer science and engineering to the automotive industry.
  • Develop the growth of digital data processing within the automotive industry amongst suppliers and OEMs.

The knowledge gained from the project will lead to a new generation of electronic components and sensors incorporating self-monitoring and improving reliability and robustness.


Structure

The work of RobustSENSE is organised into six work packages (WPs): two administrative WPs (WP1: Project management, WP6: Demonstration and exploitation) and four technical WPs:

RobustSENSE structure

The technical work packages:

WP2: Requirements and specification

Work package 2 analyses the requirements of the sensor platform and defines the system architecture.

WP3: Environment perception

Work package 3 develops algorithms for performance and reliability monitoring on the basis of the metrics defined in work package 2. These algorithms need to be implemented to the sensing components employed by the RobustSENSE sensor platform.

WP4: Situation understanding and planning

In work package 4, the algorithms are developed to process environmental information provided by the various sensing components, the V2X communication and the digital map. This leads to an understanding of the current traffic situation and to a prediction of its potential evolution in the future.

WP5: Integration and validation

In work package 5 the various hardware- and software components of the RobustSENSE platform will be integrated to a working prototype system. Once proper functioning is confirmed, the sensor platform prototype will be be installed in the demonstration vehicles.