AirPro Diagnostics says its Auggie mobile static recalibration device has been independently tested to meet the requirements of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). AirPro officials say FT Techno of America, an independent vehicle evaluation company, performed test scenarios on a vehicle re-calibrated with Auggie at the Fowlerville Proving Grounds in Michigan.
The tests included crash imminent braking (CIB), automatic emergency braking (AEW) and lane departure warning (LDW). AirPro president and chief operating officer Josh McFarlin says the tests featured solid and dashed line scenarios for LDW along with CIB and AEB testing on moving and stationary vehicles. Additional CIB and AEB testing was successfully performed on a stationary pedestrian to a hybrid of current advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) standards.
McFarlin explains the successful tests by a third party prove Auggie works as intended. The system differentiates itself from the competition by focusing on ease of access and mobility. It delivers accurate calibrations in any environment, which benefits mobile windshield replacement companies. Many calibration systems require static environments to function as intended, meaning the ground has to be level and the room a certain size with nothing around.
“Auggie can do it outside,” says McFarlin. “It can do it in a space no bigger than the car’s footprint. It’s taking the environment and human error out of the equation.”
Auggie sits on a vehicle’s windshield and calibrates the ADAS via mathematical calculations. The biggest selling point, explains McFarlin, is Auggie doesn’t need to be perfectly placed in front of the vehicle to calibrate the systems accurately.
“The placement of Auggie isn’t the precision,” he says. “It’s the placement of the target on the screen. We’ve known for a long time that Auggie is an improvement in the calibration process, but for the critics in the industry who say it’s tricking the camera, we now have a third party that tested us against the standard and said it’s working exactly as it should.”
McFarlin says feedback from Auto Glass Week™ 2023 in Virginia Beach, Va., provided feedback. Mobile devices enable glass installers to remain brick-and-mortar-free and allow those who want to go mobile to be able to do so.
“You can do this outside,” says McFarlin. “You can do this in someone’s driveway. You can do it in a work parking lot. If you can do the glass there, you can do the calibration there.”
Joshua Huff is assistant editor of AGRR magazine’s sister publication, USGlass magazine.
