Smart communication, safe roads: DEKOR-X project successfully brought to a close

PRESS-RELEASE

Kronach, November 12, 2025 – When cars communicate with each other, road traffic becomes safer – as demonstrated by DEKOR-X (Decentralized Communication at Intersections). On Tuesday, November 11, the closing event for the research and development project took place in Kronach. The aim of the project was to make inner-city intersections even safer by connecting automated vehicles.

In the DEKOR-X project, the partners – consortium leader Valeo, AUMOVIO SE, DENSO ADAS Engineering Services GmbH, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, and Chemnitz University of Technology – developed vehicle-centric and cross-manufacturer methods for decentralized intelligence and congruent models of the traffice environment. DEKOR-X shows how scalability, interoperability, and open standards are making automated driving a reality. This also strengthens the competitiveness of Germany's mobility industry.

Vehicle-based decentralized communication increases safety at intersections

The project focused on decentralized communication: intelligent, automated vehicles exchange information from their sensors directly and in real-time. This expands their field of vision and increases safety for all road users – an innovative approach that does not require expensive, permanently installed infrastructure and is therefore easily scalable.

“Through joint, cross-manufacturer testing of decentralized communication, DEKOR-X is making a significant contribution to the large-scale introduction of automated driving in Germany,” emphasizes Dr. Eugen Wige, Software Department Manager at consortium leader Valeo. “At the same time, it also increases road safety.”

One of the biggest challenges was to process the data obtained through decentralized communication in such a way that it could be used to generate reliable information about potentially dangerous situations. To achieve this, the project team developed concepts and methods for generating environment and motion models, as well as for communication channels, and for processing information in the vehicle. The collected data can also be processed in a cloud to generate movement patterns using AI-based prediction models. This information is then fed back to the vehicles, which can thus be warned of dangers at an early stage and adjust their driving behavior accordingly.

Successful demonstration in a real-life setting

The project members recently presented the results of their work in Kronach. The concepts developed in the project were successfully tested in various intersection scenarios and demonstrated live at the event.

At the control station, Valeo provided insights into technical supervision in accordance with the Autonomous Vehicle Approval and Operation Ordinance (AFGBV) and real-time object detection of vehicles. This ensures the safety of automated driving in the project.

Project partner AUMOVIO SE showed how real-time data from inner-city intersections and models in the cloud can be used to predict driving behavior and pedestrian movements. This enables intelligent, automated vehicles to select optimal driving trajectories and adjust their driving behavior accordingly.

"The ability to recognize and predict the movement patterns of road users in real time is a crucial step toward improving safety in urban traffic. Our cloud-based models recognize and predict movement patterns in (urban) traffic in real time. This enables automated vehicles to adapt their driving behavior dynamically and proactively. This is our contribution to safe, connected, and proactive mobility," explains Arno Semmelroth, Growth Field Leader – Cloud-Based Mobility Solution, AUMOVIO SE.

How cars "see" what is happening around corners

Another highlight was the demonstration of the “looking around corners” use case. At the test intersection set up for the project at the Valeo site, teams from Chemnitz University of Technology and Coburg University of Applied Sciences showed how a test vehicle can detect a hidden obstacle at an intersection through decentralized data fusion and V2X communication with other smart vehicles.

“Decentralized data fusion enables the creation of congruent environment models in intelligent vehicles. This will allow vehicles to perceive their surroundings beyond the limits of their own sensors in the future—a significant step ahead in the development of cooperative vehicle systems,” explains Dominik Raeck, a member of the Department of Communications Engineering at Chemnitz University of Technology, describing the relevance of the project results for the future of automated driving.

Prof. Dr. Lucila Patiño-Studencki from Coburg University of Applied Sciences is a professor of V2X technologies and conducts research precisely at this interface between communication and intelligence in vehicles. She emphasizes: “The vehicles of the future must not only exchange data, but also communicate and coordinate their processes. This means that not only must communication be efficient, but the recording and interpretation of the environment must also be precise, context-related, and situation-specific.”

At the event, participants had the opportunity to take a close look at the hardware and software components developed and optimized in the project, as well as the test vehicles.

Research results strengthen Germany's position as a leading location for mobility in the long term

The results of the DEKOR-X project lay the foundation for the further development of automated driving in complex urban environments. The decentralized approach, which does not require expensive infrastructure, enables easy scalability of solutions for a wide range of traffic situations.

Once the R&D project is complete, the industry partners will integrate the results into future product generations, thereby helping to strengthen Germany's position as a leading location for mobility. DEKOR-X is thus making an important contribution to bringing automated vehicles onto the roads more safely and efficiently.

About DEKOR-X

The research and development project “DEKOR-X (Decentralized Communication at Intersections)” was part of the “Flagship Initiative for Autonomous and Connected Driving” of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). It was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) with approximately EUR 7.5 million over three years.

In addition to the consortium leader Valeo, AUMOVIO SE, DENSO ADAS Engineering Services GmbH, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, and Chemnitz University of Technology were also involved in the project.

For press inquiries regarding the project, please contact the project coordinator at projektbuero.dekor-x@nuts.one or Andreas vom Bruch at andreas.vom-bruch@valeo.com.