A Comprehensive Simulation Platform for Testing Autonomous Vehicles in 3D Virtual Environment

A key obstruction to the progress of AV's is determining how authorities will certify them. When Automated Driving Systems (ADS) reach SAE level 3 automation, it will no longer be adequate to continue the current practice of relying on physical testing alone. To this end this paper discusses the creation of a virtual platform which may test how an ADS responds to challenging situations. The aim is for the platform to be used for independent tests of ADSs and form part of the approval framework which enables the deployment of AVs on public roads in the future.