A Pioneer in Connected Vehicles
When it comes to communication between vehicles and their environment, our colleague Rosario is second to none. The graduate physicist head up DEKRA’s test track for V2X and 5G technology in Málaga.
From Fujitsu to DEKRA
Rosario’s world is full of acronyms: V2X, 5G, IoT, RFID. Sometimes even she must think twice about what they mean – even though she uses them every day when talking to customers around the world. But how did she end up in such an exciting job? After graduating, she worked at Fujitsu and then moved to Cetecom, where she was involved in setting up the telecommunications test laboratory. Later, when the company was renamed AT4 wireless, she led the development of the first test tool for RFID components. In 2015, DEKRA took over the company—and Rosario took on the task of developing a test track for connected driving.
“We need more automated cars on public roads to make them safer – but because they are considered unsafe, they are not yet allowed there!”
The DEKRA test track in Málaga.
Today, a Ford Kuga rolls through a digital traffic lab on the 50,000- square-meter site on the Andalusian coast. Over 30 radio transmitters simulate traffic lights, cars, and pedestrians within a safe, closed system. In two additional laboratories, complex traffic scenarios can be played out virtually – whether in the city or on the highway. In 2021, DEKRA became the first center worldwide to receive approval for C-V2X certification according to US standards.
The future lies in automated driving
Rosario can now look back on a 30-year career. It has been a time marked by groundbreaking technological developments – such as wireless technology. But what does the future hold? “In ten to twelve years, it won’t be unusual to see these cars on the road,” says Rosario. It’s paradoxical: “We need more automated cars on public roads to make them safer – but because they are considered unsafe, they are not yet allowed there!”