Investigating the Role of Simulation Fidelity in ADS Virtual Testing
Sponsor: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) · Role: Co-PI (PI: Arpan Kusari) · Period: 2026–2028
Virtual testing is essential for evaluating Automated Driving Systems (ADS), but a simulation result is only as trustworthy as the fidelity of the underlying models for the intended test purpose. This project develops quantitative measures and methods to determine when a simulation platform’s fidelity is sufficient for an ADS virtual test.
My contributions
- Co-Principal Investigator on the project.
- Define representative virtual testing use cases, critical real-world attributes, and traceable mappings between real-world attributes and simulation fidelity.
- Develop quantitative fidelity metrics within a reproducible evaluation pipeline.
- Lead sensitivity analysis of ADS safety outcomes with respect to physics, driver/traffic behavior, and sensor fidelity.
Efe Yarbasi is an Assistant Research Scientist in the Engineering Systems Group at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). His research covers the safety of automated and driver-assistance systems and the electrification of transportation. He serves as principal investigator and co-principal investigator on projects sponsored by NHTSA, Toyota Motor North America, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. He co-leads the Low Altitude Airspace Working Group at M-Air.
He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech. There he worked in the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory under Prof. Dimitri Mavris and developed methods to find and reduce the uncertainties that matter most in complex, multi-disciplinary designs. He is a member of AIAA and IEEE.
Students, please get in touch. I am looking for curious, motivated students to join my research. Projects range from crash analysis and AI for safety to EV charging and low-altitude airspace, and I mentor undergraduate and graduate students. If any of this sounds interesting, send me an email with a short note about your background and what you want to work on.