Browse Topic: Computer software and hardware
Despite advances in CFD, wind tunnel testing remains indispensable for aerodynamic validation, correlation, and homologation. Increasing configuration complexity, shortened development cycles, and stringent result robustness and documentation requirements demand a shift from isolated facilities to integrated, data-driven ecosystems within the overall development and company-wide test processes. We present a software-centric approach integrating wind tunnel operations into a strategic element of the Digital Thread. By orchestrating test planning, execution, data acquisition, and documentation within a unified framework, experimental data becomes reusable across projects and traceable for compliance and homologation. The interaction between CFD and physical testing is important. Such approach systematically improves simulation models with wind tunnel tests. And CFD results guide efficient test matrix definition. Extended measurement methodologies include automated actuation of active aerodynamic components in test sequences, while BEVs introduce further aerodynamic and thermal aspects for range and efficiency. Thus, extended and automated test definition down to the step-level of test sequences is introduced. Within such integrated environment, AI can be a supporting engineering tool to enhance testing. AI-based methods can assist in identifying relevant test points within complex parameter spaces and in correlating experimental and simulated results, assisting but not replacing established engineering judgment. Also, for the operating department, analyzing process data for maintenance predictions and efficiency optimizations can be assisted by AI-based methods and supporting AI-agents. The approach boosts efficiency by reducing test effort and tedious manual tasks, leading to shorter development cycles, supporting improved time-to-market. Structured workflows and standardized data handling enhance data quality, improve comparability of results, and ensure robust documentation for reliable audit trails. By combining physical testing, simulation, and intelligent processing, the wind tunnel becomes a reproducible, innovation-enabling element in modern product development, positioning software as the backbone of efficient, future-proof aerodynamic testing.
The UMV Peoplemover 2+2 is part of a modular vehicle family (Urban Modular Vehicle) that includes derivatives for passenger and cargo transport in urban environments. The platform supports automated movers as well as conventionally controlled vehicles with a human driver, ensuring high flexibility across applications. The modular platform enables the extensive use of common parts, allowing the efficient and cost-effective realization of multiple vehicle variants. The increased share of common parts also improves sustainability by reducing derivative-specific parts, material usage, and production complexity. A drivable demonstrator of the UMV Peoplemover 2+2 has already been realized. The vehicle is designed for the automated transport of up to four occupants in a 2+2 vis-à-vis seating arrangement and is targeted at demand-oriented shuttle services. While the drivable demonstrator validated the proof of concept, it lacked the core Level 4 hardware and software stack for automated driving functions. To address this limitation, we deployed a software-defined vehicle architecture to the concept. This paper introduces the novel e/e-architecture and software stack enabling the Peoplemover 2+2 to initiate its first shuttle service at the German Aerospace Center (DLR e.V.) in Stuttgart. We further detail the deployed multi-modal sensor suite, comprising modern solid-state LiDARs and a 4D imaging radar, which were carefully selected to meet the operational design domain requirements while also serving as a versatile research platform for future advanced perception studies. Finally, we analyze the SDV-based modular software stack, which facilitates rapid application development through straightforward switching between commercial, open-source, and in-house software domains, and supports parallel execution of domain-specific functions across all three software sources.
Software-defined, highly customizable vehicle architectures drastically increase the number of hardware–software constellations that must be validated, especially under safety and timing constraints. Traditional unit and integration testing, as well as current regression and combinatorial methods, cannot practically cover this configuration space or reliably capture emergent effects arising from complex interactions, such as bandwidth contention and non-linear latency behavior. This work presents a proof-of-concept for predictive, situational validation of self-describing hardware and software components within realistic automotive E/E architectures. Proposing a novel Machine Learning- (ML) based method for early systemic feasibility prediction of automotive configurations using Graph Neural Networks (GNNs). Specifically, the subclass Graph Isomorphism Networks (GINs) is applied to predict the compatibility of a randomly composed configuration of software and hardware components, assessing both structural compatibility and functional stability. The trained models achieve recall and accuracy above 90%, even when detailed behavioral metadata is hidden during training, indicating that systemic incompatibilities are learnable from topological features alone. Results were achieved from training on a realistic, synthetic dataset representing less than 10e−27% of all possible permutations without finetuning or further parameter optimization. It demonstrates the potential of GIN-based graph learning to enable early, automated feasibility assessment, substantially reducing testing time and development effort for modular, personalized, and update-capable vehicle architectures.
In the two months since Microvision bought Luminar and acquired key tech and talent, the sensor company has been busy. In that time, they've merged key lidar units from each company and created a perception software stack to run it in a convincing demo of its ADAS and autonomous capabilities. The company is also pushing innovative lidar tech into the defense drone and antidrone markets, already working with a German defense supplier that works with NATO member countries.
In response to the problems of urban traffic congestion and the limited expansion of infrastructure, this paper conducts two core research focusing on the intelligent chassis system of split-type flying vehicle. Firstly, an autonomous navigation strategy for the intelligent chassis module is proposed based on chassis module Navigation 2 architecture, which fuses LIDAR and IMU positioning to plan paths using the A* global planning algorithm on a global cost map, and update the local cost map in real time with sensor data. It is orchestrated by the BT Navigator using a behavior tree, with failures handled by the Recovery Server, to achieve autonomous driving across multiple waypoints. In simulation and closed-field experiments, the system can stably reach the preset target points. The positioning accuracy and trajectory tracking performance can meet the design requirements. Secondly, a mechanical slide rail-type docking structure adapted to the split flying vehicle architecture is designed. Deformation analysis under the representative working conditions are evaluated through finite element software. The test results show that the maximum deformation of this docking structure under typical load is significantly lower than the docking tolerance and positioning repeatability requirements. The structural stiffness and stability meet the design indicators. The above work indicates that the proposed autonomous navigation strategy and the docking structure for the intelligent chassis can effectively support the modular operation of “air trunk & ground terminal” mode, providing a scientific basis for the functional integration and system reliability research of split-type flying vehicles.
The aging of the population has been a key issue worldwide, with mobility and fall of the elderly an important problem to be solved. In this paper, we propose an elderly mobility assist system based on the intelligent power-assisted device consisting of an assistive cane and an intelligent companion. It has the functions of standing support after falling, daily support and on-site rest. The assistive cane adopts a two-stage expansion mechanism of crank and slider structure, which forms a stable triangular support after unfolding, so that the patient can stand safely. The intelligent companion platform is driven by drive wheels, equipped with pushrod motors and vacuum suction devices, it can automatically approach the user and form an stable support column when the cane is in the out-of reach range; the control system is designed by combining microcontroller, camera object recognition, wristband remote control, to realize automatic steering and autonomous navigation at differential speed. The overall design satisfies the requirements of safety and strength through mechanical verification and stress analysis. The proposed system can help the elderly people to recover from falls better and enhance their independence and safety in their daily walks.
The current work presents a methodology to estimate the mission and performance capabilities of a generic rotorcraft configuration, to satisfy the need of evaluating the integration of a full electric powertrain in the aircraft design. To include all the design steps, two different approaches are proposed. For the preliminary phase, the "Analytic Method" is considered, which exploits a purely resistive model. Conversely, a method based on look-up tables called "Table Method" is intended to be used in more advanced phase, when the battery pack is defined. Both approaches are tested by evaluating a reference mission and a hover chart. Finally, a verification of the presented methodology is carried out by comparing the mission results with a commercial software, specialized in the evaluation of the cell discharge when a given power spectrum is provided.
Developing high-integrity software is a complex process that involves meeting strict standards across various industries. For instance, in the avionics sector, the DO-178C Design Assurance Level A (DAL-A) sets the highest level of rigor, requiring comprehensive evidence that the software will perform its intended safety functions. Modern avionics systems are made up of hardware and software from different vendors, all integrated by prime contractors. By achieving modularity in these systems, we can reduce interface complexity, manage version control, address supply chain vulnerabilities, and significantly lower recertification costs. To support a high degree of integration and software reuse in avionics systems, certain architectural elements are necessary. These include a certified Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), open standards consortia like FACE® and MOSA, multicore partitioning strategies, deterministic networking, and hypervisor-based virtualization. The role of a certified RTOS, for example, is crucial in ensuring the reliable and efficient operation of safety-critical software components. Open standards consortia, on the other hand, facilitate the development of interoperable systems, while multicore partitioning strategies enable the efficient use of system resources. The use of deterministic networking and hypervisor-based virtualization also plays a key role in enabling the integration of multiple systems and reducing the complexity of system design. By leveraging these technologies, we can create a 'certify once, deploy anywhere' paradigm, which reduces development timelines, lowers lifecycle costs, and positions safety-critical software components for reuse across heterogeneous platforms. This approach not only improves the efficiency of system development but also enhances the reliability and safety of the resulting systems. In essence, the development of high-integrity software for avionics systems requires a comprehensive approach that considers the complex interactions between hardware and software components. By adopting modular architectures and leveraging open standards, certified RTOS, and advanced networking and virtualization technologies, we can create systems that are not only safe and reliable but also efficient and cost-effective. This, in turn, can help reduce the risks associated with system development and deployment, while also improving the overall performance and safety of the resulting systems.
The convergence of highly capable edge AI models and advanced commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) edge AI accelerators is reshaping how computation is deployed across defense, aerospace, and commercial platforms. Mission-critical decisions increasingly must be made at the edge, onboard vehicles, satellites, and infrastructure nodes, where latency, connectivity, and power availability are constrained.
Building a trusted digital twin and decision-centric simulation ecosystem The automotive industry has been experiencing significant change and transformation. Electrification, software-defined vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems, and increasing electrical system integration are fundamentally reshaping how vehicles are designed and validated. As integration complexity continues to increase, the expectations for design cycle times are being compressed. Programs that once relied on extended validation timelines are now expected to deliver the same level of confidence in a fraction of the time. Traditional engineering workflows were built around sequential design phases, iterative simulations, and heavy reliance on physical validation. Design concepts were documented, prototypes were constructed, tests were performed, and results were compiled in reports and specifications that informed the next iteration. That approach worked well when systems were less complex and product life cycles were longer. In recent years, the volume of data, the speed of development, and the interconnected nature of modern vehicle architectures demand a different approach.
Software is driving major changes in automotive design. The rise of the software-defined vehicle, combined with increasing automation, is dramatically increasing software complexity. Automotive teams must deliver larger volumes of safety-critical code on tighter schedules while maintaining strict compliance with functional safety standards. In this environment, effective testing and verification are more important than ever. Development teams are increasingly adopting shift-left testing strategies, where defects are identified early at the unit level before software progresses down the development pipeline. Detecting issues earlier reduces risk, lowers remediation costs, and improves development velocity.
The automotive industry is evolving from a reactive, independently self-determined approach to cybersecurity, complicated by a complex supply chain. Over time, this has resulted in a fragmented industry comprised of any number of proprietary solutions verses a standardized, regulated paradigm to facilitate a platform-oriented approach. This document, an update on collaborative work from the SAE Vehicle Electrical Hardware Security Task Force (TEVEES18B) and GlobalPlatform Automotive Task Force, outlines this transition strategy. An extensible number of additional examples of use cases of Global Platform Technologies are explored in this document.
The useability of development processes in the automotive sector has decreased in the past years to a level at which their application and true benefit to is being questioned. Such degradation can be attributed to new additions to the processes and introduction of FuSa and Cybersecurity standards. The processes try to keep up with the shift from the traditional ‘plan–implement–test–roll-out' methodology to more agile methods. In addition, process departments typically in charge of these processes, focus on compliance to the letter of the standard to achieve certification, often with little thought to the actual implementation and the process they will be used by their engineering teams. Process growth to meet the needs of new and more complex technologies often mandates the use of new tools, which if implemented incorrectly can lead to unnecessary bureaucracy and additional overheads. Furthermore, the language of these new processes is in a form from assessor, making it difficult for an engineer to understand, interpret and implement. As a result, engineers become annoyed, losing productivity and motivation when working with what they perceive as burdensome standards, that simply exist to slow development. This has a huge impact on the competitiveness of companies especially in markets that are facing existential threats from internal and external pressures such as the automotive industry. Against popular belief, the application of generative AI (and large language models) will not solve the problem. On the contrary, it risks automating complex processes in the same unfamiliar language and creating documents to serve process overhead, rather than engineering development. This paper presents inefficiencies in the current state-of-the art processes used in the automotive sector and proposes a structured approach that increases the efficiency of automotive software development. It does so by documenting and implementing development processes based on how engineers actually perform their work. In the second step the adjustments that are necessary to ensure compliance of the product with industry standards are made. Such an approach produces efficient, compact and compliant process definition.
The rapid advancement of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), automated driving and electrification has significantly increased the software content and complexity within modern vehicles. Consequently, ensuring both high process quality and compliance or qualification with functional safety standards becomes critically important. Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (ASPICE 4.0) focus on Process quality and Capability Maturity, while ISO 26262:2018 emphasizes engineering guidelines for functional safety and risk mitigation. The efficient integration of the process and standard remains a key challenge due to differences in their objectives, terminologies, and assessment criteria. The misalignment between ASPICE 4.0 and ISO 26262:2018 standard often results in duplicated efforts, rework of work products, and delays in product release schedules. This paper proposes a unified framework to bridge ASPICE 4.0 process areas with ISO 26262:2018 safety standard recommendations and activities. The framework introduces a refined V-model that integrates safety lifecycle activities directly into ASPICE 4.0 process workflows, enabling a harmonized and systematic approach to software development and safety compliance. While maintaining a focus on system engineering (SYS) and software engineering (SWE) process areas, this paper also discusses how the hardware engineering (HWE) process and support process (SUP) areas in ASPICE 4.0 can be mapped to the ISO 26262:2018 standard. In addition, the proposed framework addresses the concept phase of the safety lifecycle, encompassing item definition, HARA, safety goals and functional safety concept (FSC). This technique facilitates higher process efficiency, reduces redundant activities, and enhances product quality while maintaining compliance with both standards. The harmonized approach presented in this paper provides a holistic solution to current industry challenges by enabling incorporation of safety practices within automotive software development process. This ensures that vehicle systems meet quality and safety expectations, supporting timely product delivery in an increasingly competitive and regulated automotive market.
The automotive industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation in Electrical/Electronic (E/E) architecture, evolving from traditional distributed and domain-based designs toward zonal configurations. The rapid growth of software-defined functionality, cross-domain integration, and centralized computing has exposed inherent limitations of legacy architectures in scalability, wiring complexity, and system integration. Zonal E/E architecture addresses these challenges by consolidating computing and Input/Output (I/O) resources into high-performance controllers distributed across physical zones of a vehicle. This transformation, however, cannot occur instantaneously, as contemporary vehicle designs and E/E system solutions are the result of decades of incremental development based on distributed and domain-based paradigms. Moreover, key enabling technologies for zonal E/E architecture—such as high-performance Central Compute Platform (CCP) and zonal controllers, high-speed automotive Ethernet, and standardized software architecture—are still maturing. To ensure safety, reliability, and cost-effectiveness, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) must therefore adopt carefully planned evolution strategy to progressively consolidate functions, realizing the zonal design step by step. This paper proposes a unified architectural framework that systematically maps the full spectrum of evolutionary paths toward zonal E/E architecture. The framework identifies major transition stages, key engineering activities, and alternative migration paths, including distributed and domain-based architectures, vertical and horizontal function integration, various domain fusion patterns, mixed E/E architecture, continuous function migration to CCP and zonal controllers, and ultimately, the full realization of zonal E/E architecture. By organizing and contrasting these evolutionary paths, the framework provides OEMs with architectural insight and practical guidance for planning low-risk, staged transition toward fully zonal E/E architecture capable of supporting next-generation Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs).
With the rise of software-defined vehicles and the emergence of cyber threats to vehicular systems, developing teams are compelled to conduct extensive testing on both virtual and physical prototypes at an accelerated pace. This new development landscape necessitates diagnostic tools that are both precise and adaptable. However, proprietary systems dominate this field, often hindering accessibility for students and researchers due to high costs and restrictive licensing. This paper presents the design and implementation of an open-source, low-cost remote testing system tailored for automotive development and diagnostics. The proposed system utilizes Arduino and Raspberry Pi processing units, along with relay-based switching modules, to provide secure remote control of vehicle components through a web-based dashboard equipped with authentication, scheduling, and real-time synchronization capabilities. The tested prototype showcased robust scalability, secure session handling, and seamless integration with the open-source Woodpecker EV platform at the University of Detroit Mercy. The affordability and open-source nature of the framework offer a practical alternative to proprietary tools, while also enabling future adaptation to diverse automotive contexts.
The automotive industry is subject to major transformation initiated by societal and economical pull (reducing emissions, zero fatalities, European competitiveness) and accelerated by technology push (electrification, Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM), and Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS)). Following this trend, the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) targets the integration of software (SW) development methodologies for vehicle development as well as the value delivery shift toward customers along the entire lifecycle. It promises to create benefits for the car manufacturers in terms of faster time to market, easier update – as well as for the car users (private persons, fleet operators) in terms of personalized user experience, upgradability. At the same time, SDV requires a much more integrated and continuous development framework to enable different experts to efficiently develop and validate concurrently the different parts of the vehicles, to gather information about real operation, and to support update in the field. This paper introduces the collaborative development framework introduced in the European research program Collaborative Development Framework for electric-based Software-Defined Vehicles (CODE4EV).
Patching vulnerabilities in safety-critical domains such as automotive and aerospace is costly and complex. A small code modification can trigger a complete rebuild, producing a binary with widespread changes. This inflates patch size, complicates regression testing, and makes over-the-air (OTA) updates inefficient, as traditional binary patches often replace large portions of the executable. We present a binary rewriting–based experiment that shows the feasibility of a patch that updates only the affected bytes by computing the impact of a code change at the binary level. This produces minimal, localized patches rather than regenerated executables. The preliminary experiment shows that a single source change, which leads to thousands of modified bytes after recompilation, can be captured with only a few bytes using our method. For automotive and aerospace systems, this technique reduces patch size, conserves bandwidth, and minimizes disruption to certified software, offering a promising direction for efficient and reliable vulnerability remediation.
Autonomous platforms such as self-driving vehicles, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and intelligent aerial drones demand real-time video perception systems capable of delivering actionable visual information at ultra-low latency. High-resolution vision pipelines are often hindered by delays introduced at multiple stages—sensor acquisition, video encoding, data transmission, decoding, and display—undermining the responsiveness required for safety-critical decision making. This study introduces a holistic system-level optimization framework that systematically reduces end-to-end video latency while maintaining image fidelity and perception accuracy. The proposed approach integrates hardware-accelerated encoding, zero-copy direct memory access (DMA), lightweight UDP-based RTP transport, and GPU-accelerated decoding into a unified pipeline. By minimizing redundant memory copies and software bottlenecks, the system achieves seamless data flow across hardware and software boundaries. Evaluations demonstrate a latency reduction from a baseline of 45.3 milliseconds to an optimized 23.5 milliseconds, representing a 48.1% improvement without sacrificing spatial resolution or detection robustness. Under optimized configurations, the framework sustains frame rates above 60 FPS at both Full HD and 4K resolutions, with frame drop rates held to approximately 3%. Perceptual evaluation further confirms that object detection accuracy consistently exceeds 91% within the <35 ms latency range, while collision-prediction delays are reduced to below 12.4 ms, ensuring timely responses in dynamic scenarios. These improvements collectively validate the critical importance of hardware-software co-design for embedded vision systems. The results highlight that ultra-low-latency perception is achievable on edge platforms when pipelines are designed with cross-layer optimization, bridging sensor interfaces, video codecs, network transport, and GPU computation. The proposed architecture provides a scalable foundation for future embedded vision deployments in autonomous driving, robotics, and unmanned aerial systems, where low latency is a non-negotiable requirement for safety, reliability, and operational efficiency.
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