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The increasing variety of test configurations and requirements has leaded to carry out activities of greater complexity. These advanced crash tests usually involve vehicle trajectories which are not straight and cannot be performed with the usual testing system. In order to increase the testing capabilities, a new guiding system was developed. An in-loop processing of the images filmed by a camera enables the vehicle to follow a path marked on the floor. An algorithm for image processing through colour filters was developed to identify the position of the line marked on the floor. Based on this input the steering wheel is rotated by an electric motor which receives the input of the electronic software. After a first phase of development, the system was able to identify the marked line on the floor and control the angle of the steering wheel to maintain the desired trajectory. However, the robustness should be increased.

New active and passive safety systems are continuously being developed. To assess these new systems, new testing requirements have appeared along with constraints and requirements that must be overcome while at the same time maintaining higher safety and quality standards. However, the increasing variety of test configurations and the requirements of various customers have led passive safety laboratories to carry out more complex vehicle tests, which usually involve non-straight trajectories and cannot be performed with the usual testing system. In order to increase the testing capabilities, a new guiding system was developed to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements. Several requirements for the desired system were established. It had to be reliable, robust and solid in order to guarantee repeatability and durability in crashes. Additionally the system had to be installed inside the vehicle without modifying its structure or interfering with the mass distribution.