Posted on Jan. 9, 2020, 12:38 p.m.
The automakers have lifted their foot on the autonomous car, but the equipment manufacturers have not put away their cameras and their sensors. At CES in Las Vegas, which is being held this week in the city of poker and penguin bandits, there were few automotive players present who did not boast about their latest innovations in the field.
Valeo has thus unveiled – as a world premiere – Predict.ai, a system capable of predicting the trajectory of pedestrians, cyclists or other vulnerable road users. “It’s very complicated, because they are very unpredictable,” says Guillaume Devauchelle, French equipment supplier innovation boss.
The German Continental for its part presented a sophisticated system to make the hood transparent. “It’s about combining images from multiple cameras to see what’s under the car, and avoiding invisible obstacles,” says Dirk Abendroth, chief technology officer of Continental Automotive – like cats or dogs. crossing apart from the nails.
Safety first
In both cases, artificial intelligence was used for security. “In 2019, the automotive industry has revised its ambitions in the autonomous car to focus on levels 2 or 2 +, which are driving aids such as automatic braking, or maintaining on a lane,” recalls David Trippany, analyst at IHS Markit.
Exit the dream of the 100% robot car in the coming months, as some announced ? “The first step in introducing technology is to understand security. It is absolutely necessary to build trust. In the United States, people are absolutely not yet ready to get into autonomous cars. ”
Billions on the table
OEMs therefore continue to invest heavily in these areas. Bosch said it would have spent $ 4.7 billion on driver aids, an area where it employs 5,000 engineers, in 2022. The German equipment maker, which already employs 250 AI experts working out of 150 projects, is also investing $ 110 million in a campus specializing in this area, where 700 people will work at the end of 2022.
Bosch has also announced plans to develop Lidar, laser remote sensing systems, at affordable prices. An area that is becoming essential in the autonomous car, and not only at Valeo: many companies like Velodyne, DJI, or LeddarTech presented their technologies in Las Vegas this week.
“Smart” sun visor
Cameras can also be used to improve the functions of the mirror – or even replace it. Aston Martin thus presented a central rear view mirror integrating three video streams, allowing to no longer have blind spots. Faurecia also proposes to replace its side mirrors with cameras capable of detecting dangers (which can for example lock the door in the event of overtaking by a bicycle).
“Less bulky, this system is also more aerodynamic and emits less CO2 – up to 4.5 g / km,” said a spokesman for the tricolor equipment supplier. Bosch has developed a virtual sun visor which, thanks to a camera, casts shade on the driver’s eyes and prevents him from being dazzled. “The sun causes twice as many accidents as any other weather condition,” recalls Michael Bolle, the group’s chief technology officer.
Finally, safety innovation also arrives inside vehicles. As the cockpits individualize, the cameras can now detect the dangers linked to the driver’s condition. “They are able to see if he is tired or distracted, or even to recognize the warning signs of a crisis in diabetics,” explains Guillaume Devauchelle, at Valeo. The car can then react and send cold air to revive the driver’s attention, for example. An area in which Faurecia wants to be a pioneer.
Valeo has also developed, in partnership with NTT Docomo, a system to detect the presence of a forgotten child in the car and send a message to the parents’ smartphone. A system soon mandatory in the United States, where dozens of babies succumb each year as a result of dehydration.