Beyond human vision: AVs require new perception baseline

The automotive industry has historically used human vision as the metric by which it develops traffic control and vehicle perception systems. Today, all photometric and road measurements for design, performance, and standard compliance are based on the CIE reference observer for photometry, which is representative of human visual performance (i.e. a biological reference observer). But computers are now taking over much more of the sensing from humans, and camera, radar and LiDAR systems ‘see’ the world differently. What works for human drivers may not work so well for a machine. As the industry heads towards SAE Level 3 and 4 capabilities, it’s time to develop a new frame of reference representative of automated driving and ADAS.