INFASEC - Investigating accidents involving automated vehicles in a manner that stands up in court

As part of the INFASEC project, an innovation centre for digital vehicle forensics is to be established at the CARISSMA Research Centre at THI. At its heart is a full-vehicle test bench on which driver assistance systems and automated driving functions are to be tested under reproducible conditions, thereby ensuring the evidence is admissible in court. The testing operations are complemented by new methods and tools for extracting and analysing digital evidence from vehicles involved in accidents.

Problem statement

Was it the driver or the system that was in control? In the case of accidents involving automated vehicles, it has so far been virtually impossible to answer this question in a way that would stand up in court. The established methods of accident reconstruction essentially date back to the 1970s and 1980s, and independent experts have only limited access to the crucial digital data within the vehicle. This undermines legal certainty and confidence in automated driving.

Development objective

The full-vehicle test bench is to be upgraded with a radar simulator and a 3D projection system for camera simulation. The aim is to recreate real-life accident scenarios in three dimensions and systematically determine the operational limits of the vehicle systems. In parallel, an information database on the storage locations and access paths of relevant vehicle data is to be developed, along with a Forensic Data Retrieval (FDR) tool that will enable experts to extract digital evidence from vehicles involved in accidents. In the long term, the innovation centre aims to establish itself as an independent point of contact for experts, investigating authorities and courts.

Project partner

The project partners include consultancy firms and SMEs from across Bavaria, as well as DEKRA Automobil GmbH, FSD Fahrzeugsystemdaten GmbH and the European Association for Accident Research and Analysis. They are set to benefit from the database, regular symposia at the THI and access to the test bench, which, once operational, will also be available to other companies on a contract basis.
 

The project is led by Prof. Dr Hans-Georg Schweiger and Prof. Dr Hans-Joachim Hof.