From Design to Application: Emergency Maneuver Control in a 1:3.33 Scaled Vehicle

The development of autonomous vehicles necessitates designing and testing advanced vehicle controllers that replace human drivers. Before reaching end users, these controllers must undergo rigorous experimental tests to verify their applicability and consistency with simulation data. Given the high cost of full-sized test vehicles, scaled vehicles offer a cost-effective and efficient alternative. This study evaluates state-of-the-art vehicle controllers for evasive maneuvers using a 1:3.33 scaled vehicle. The scaled vehicle is designed, constructed, and equipped with advanced hardware, including a centimeter-accurate GPS for localization and a MicroAutoBox III for executing the controllers. Experiments conducted with this scaled vehicle are compared to simulations performed in IPG-CarMaker®, demonstrating an accuracy range of 83% to 99.9% between the scaled vehicle and virtual reality simulations.