Publication

The European project euroFOT developed the first large scale Field Operational Test, with a focus on Ihe European project euroFOT developed the first large scale Field Operational Test, with a focus on Intelligent Vehicles equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and used by ordinary drivers in real traffic. Its motivation was to evaluate different on-board functions with regard to traffic safety, efficiency and the environment. Also usability and acceptance were exhaustively evaluated. Participants either owned their test vehicles, leased them during the experiment or took part as professional drivers employed by freight companies. Data acquisition techniques ranged from questionnaires to continuous recording of vehicle signals, and also, in some cases, additional instrumentation with video and extra sensors. The following functions have been considered for passenger cars and trucks: •longitudinal control functions: Forward collision warning (FCW), adaptive cruise control (ACC), speed regulation system (SRS) •lateral control functions: Blind spot information (BLIS), lane departure warning (LDW), impairment warning (IW) •advanced applications: Curve speed warning (CSW), fuel efficiency advisor (FEA), safe human machine interface (SafeHMI). The project started in May 2008 and ended with a Final Event at the Autoworld Museum in Brussels, Belgium in June 2012. Several hundred Terabyte of data have been collected from around 1200 drivers driving for more than 35 million km. This deliverable summarizes the three major phases of the project: specification/piloting, execution and data analysis. Field tests are a well-known method for manufacturers to look into the way their products are used by the consumer. For the first time euroFOT has brought together major European vehicle manufacturers and research institutes in order to collect data from different ADAS equipped vehicles in different countries but all with the same task: ordinary driving on real roads. Participants drove vehicles which did not look very different from standard vehicles and could be driven without special instructions. It was therefore necessary to assemble complex computer and sensor hardware, flying wires, instrument brackets or even maintenance intensive software into a nice and clean package, requiring low maintenance and worthy of the newly acquired customer vehicle. During the first two years, euroFOT was dedicated to defining the framework for the analysis of research questions (specifying functions, experimental procedures, hypotheses, measures, indicators and questionnaires) and for testing the chain of data collection and processing (piloting). The data acquisition systems (DAS) for CAN-data, video and extra sensor recording were selected, modified or even developed from components and programmed for the different vehicle lines involved. The acquisition of drivers had started early and many drivers did agree to participate, despite low take-rate of systems and the weak economic situation. In the third year almost 1000 vehicles were on the road and collecting data. Vehicle Management Centers (VMC) had been installed to oversee the installation and maintenance of instrumentation, to provide hot line support and to administer questionnaires. In the fourth year the comprehensive task of "Data analysis" applied the methodology that had been previously prepared and fine-tuned.The results achieved are now available and summarised in a number of public deliverables. They can be used by research organizations, public bodies and other stakeholders in Europe and elsewhere to support the wider deployment of ADAS. The analysis first focused on system performance and user aspects, especially in dangerous situations which could potentially lead to accidents (which have been defined as ‘incidents’). This was followed by impact studies on traffic safety, efficiency and environment. Finally, the project  considered a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA).