TRAVL driving simulator virtual worlds (part III): autonomous vehicle simulation using CARLA

By CSEE staff

Within these simulators, TRAVL researchers have developed a series of immersive virtual environments that allow driving participants to engage with a wide range of experimental driving scenarios. In addition to TRAVL’s in-house simulation environments, the laboratory has begun using CARLA, an open-source driving simulator developed to address key challenges in autonomous vehicle (AV) research. CARLA is built on the Unreal Engine, which powers the simulation runtime and uses the OpenDRIVE standard to define road networks and urban settings. The CARLA platform operates using a scalable client-server architecture.

The server manages all core simulation processes, including sensor rendering, physics computation and real-time updates of the world state and its actors, such as vehicles, pedestrians, sensors, traffic signs and traffic signals. 

On the client side, it consists of modules that control the logic of scene graph actors and assign world conditions. Simulation control is achieved using an application programming interface, supported in both Python and C++, which enables communication between the server and client and continues to evolve to provide new functionalities. 

The CARLA distribution includes a collection of advanced, pre-packaged virtual driving environments, “maps,” that are available for immediate use. 

In addition, custom maps can be constructed to meet more specific user specifications. Since acquiring CARLA in late 2024, the TRAVL research team and its collaborators have developed and utilized both pre-packaged and custom-developed virtual environment maps for pilot research applications. 

There are two primary custom environments that are currently under development:

•  A high-fidelity digital twin of the University of Michigan’s 32-acre autonomous vehicle testing facility, Mcity. The digital replication, constructed within CARLA, allows researchers to remotely test their algorithms using real-time data that closely simulates the physical environment. 
• Building on this effort, researchers at the University at Buffalo have begun developing an in-house digital twin of the Service Center Road segment of the North Campus, located near the Center for Tomorrow, where extensive AV testing is currently performed using a Lincoln MKZ test vehicle. 

A common use of the CARLA virtual environments is the investigation of emerging AV behaviors, with the goal of improving network efficiency and observing critical interactions between AV’s and human road users, including drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, to enhance human safety. TRAVL’s preliminary CARLA-based simulator tools will support full integration across all simulator modalities within the laboratory. 

TRAVL is a marquee research facility affiliated with the Stephen Still Institute for Sustainable Transportation and Logistics (ISTL). Through its cutting-edge research initiatives and interdisciplinary graduate program, ISTL fosters collaboration and innovation aimed at advancing sustainable transportation systems with global impact.