The Testbed Lower Saxony is ready for GAIA-X

Practical example and current challenges

• The Testbed Lower Saxony provides a unique research infrastructure for developing and testing automated and connected driving solutions on motorways, rural roads and in urban settings. In addition to the physical environment, the testbed provides an open access to simulation environments for companies and scientists.
• Especially for the collaborative development of large-scale transport ecosystems, a safe, efficient and trusting cooperation between the providers and the users of the testbed, while using the same services and resources, is mandatory.
• One practical example on which several providers are working together in a spirit of trust is the demonstration of a scenario for the future mobility. In order to allow for such a mobility scenario to be tested and experienced today, the Testbed Lower Saxony allows to integrate different transport systems in the real world, using augmented reality to make these visible. The virtual elements are controlled via the traffic simulation of the testbeds data center. Therefor the simulation is responding in real time to behaviour of real-world – not the simulated – transport participants and infrastructure.
• The German Aerospace Center (DLR) and its partners present a futuristic mobility scenario for one specific use case. In this scenario, a physical vehicle is driving automatically across an open space, following the path of a virtual road network. For this purpose, the vehicle has been equipped with a high-precision map and receives dynamic information via a radio interface (ITS-G5/5G). By using a smartphone or augmented reality glasses, the collected data and its meaning can be presented virtually and physically.
• This hybrid reality approach allows for almost all kinds of scenarios to be experienced in a given space. However, this requires the possibility to link different technologies provided by different partners, to enable the testing of overall technology approaches for future mobility.

What added value does the "GAIA-X project" offer?

• GAIA-X is an open infrastructure featuring secure interfaces which allows for the secure and efficient connection of the testbed and the simulation environment to an overarching ecosystem and to other fields of application. This means that all systems can be integrated via harmonised nodes.
• In addition to this, GAIA-X provides standardised interfaces for connecting users of the Testbed Lower Saxony so they can later participate in operational applications.

Use Case Team

• Professor Dr. Frank Köster – German Aerospace Center (DLR)
• Lennart Asbach – German Aerospace Center (DLR)
• Jens Mazzega – German Aerospace Center (DLR)