How Porsche Engineering’s ComBox App Enhances ADAS Testing

Learn how Porsche Engineering’s ComBox App supports ADAS testing by capturing key measurement data and anomalies during test drives to improve analysis and validation.

The ComBox App developed by Porsche Engineering is emerging as a tool that eases the workload for test drivers and speeds up the validation of vehicle functions. The application turns a standard smartphone into part of the measurement system by receiving data from a logger that has access to the vehicle’s CAN, LIN, FlexRay and Automotive Ethernet buses. This setup allows the app to capture key events during test drives automatically, reducing the need for engineers to manually monitor anomalies or repeat drives to reproduce a short-lived issue.

The app offers six modes, each designed to support a specific part of the testing process. Standard / Single mode enables a manual trigger that records measurement data before and after an event. Scene Recognition, still under development, aims to automatically identify traffic scenarios relevant to ADAS functions, such as sudden cut-ins or complex interactions with surrounding vehicles. Acoustic Detection uses the smartphone’s microphone and a trained neural network to detect unwanted noises, including characteristic turbocharger howling or intrusive wind sounds. Infotainment Recording captures short video clips of all displays when the driver spots an issue with the interface. Meanwhile, Shift report mode simplifies test documentation by automatically filling in repeated actions such as luggage compartment cycles or battery charging.

The system is especially effective in regions where rare scenarios are harder to capture. Australia, for example, with left-hand traffic and specific road signs, traditionally required dedicated test drives. By using a smartphone as a universal measurement module, more vehicles can contribute data, making it easier to cover such cases without extra cost.

The approach has already proven itself in real development work: Porsche reports that the system was successfully tested during the development of the new Macan. This increases the likelihood of its integration into series processes, especially given that earlier ComBox hardware was already used across more than a hundred test vehicles. The new, fully mobile approach allows almost any vehicle equipped with a logger and smartphone to participate in testing.

A key element of the project is the partnership with Berlin-based startup Peregrine.ai. Its object-recognition software compares how the vehicle and the neural network perceive the same traffic situation. If the results differ, the app automatically captures the sign or object and uploads a complete measurement package to the cloud. This reduces the chance of missing rare or unusual cases that are essential for improving the reliability of driver-assistance features.

Details such as partnership conditions, data volumes or model-specific rollout plans are not publicly disclosed. Still, the available information shows that ComBox App moves ADAS development closer to continuous, broad and less resource-intensive testing, where every test vehicle becomes a meaningful data source.