In connected car news are Geotab, Google, BrainChip, Serial 1, Iteris and MACOM.
Google Cloud Award for Geotab
Geotab Inc. (“Geotab”), a global leader in IoT and connected transportation, announced that it has been named the Google Cloud Customer Award winner for Cross-Industry. Presented at Google Cloud Next ‘21, this award recognizes Geotab’s ability to demonstrate innovative thinking, technical excellence and transformation with Google Cloud.
Geotab was recognized for its ability to provide rich data insights through integrations of the Google Cloud platform and Google BigQuery within the Geotab platform. The partnership enables Geotab to develop, test, and deploy applications without compromising reliability and security, while simultaneously allowing its customers to optimize, streamline and scale their data to help improve their fleet’s operations, sustainability and safety.
“Sustainability, vehicle electrification and operational efficiency are driving businesses to undergo seismic transformations in the way goods and people move; telematics is the key enabling technology to help support this transformation,” said Neil Cawse, President and CEO of Geotab. “Since partnering with Google Cloud in 2014, Geotab has been able to accelerate its vision to deliver critical data-driven insights powered by machine learning. With billions of data points being processed daily, Google Cloud allows us to build on our vision of providing safer, more sustainable connected vehicle outcomes for our global customers.”
Leveraging Google Cloud, Geotab has been able to develop and provide its customers with innovative tools and solutions such as Geotab’s Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment (EVSA). The tool is designed to help fleets go electric by streamlining data loads with Google Cloud and allowing users to conduct assessments in a matter of seconds. Most recently, the partnership has also empowered Geotab to develop new lines of business such as Geotab’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Powered by Google technology, Geotab ITS enables the company to enter new markets by providing innovative solutions to help U.S. and Canadian transportation leaders create safer and more efficient transportation systems.
“Geotab is an excellent example of a like-minded Google Cloud partner that is focused on reducing its environmental impact with the power of technology,” said Denise Pearl, Google Cloud Global ISV Partner Manager. “We are proud to recognize Geotab for its commitment to helping its customers accelerate their sustainability initiatives with the cloud, and for its ability to significantly scale their platform’s capabilities over the past year.”
BrainChip Presenting AI Future
BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN), (OTCQX: BRCHF), a leading provider of ultra-low power high performance artificial intelligence technology, today announced that Chief Development Officer Anil Mankar will present “Intelligent Edge AI: The Future is Now” at the Linley Fall Processor Conference 2021 in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Santa Clara, California, October 20 at 3:10 p.m. PDT.
BrainChip’s presentation is part of the conference’s session “Low-Power Sensing & AI.” As part of the presentation, Mankar will demonstrate real-time use cases and share recent developments of its Akida event domain neural processor. A 10-minute Q&A session will immediately follow the conclusion of his speech.
“We are excited to demonstrate BrainChip’s Akida NPU in action – live at the event. With Akida, advanced neuromorphic computing has arrived and delivers a pathway to new technologies driving the rise of intelligent AI at the Edge and solves problems in machine learning, such as privacy, latency and reliance on the cloud,” said Mankar. “I look forward to sharing how BrainChip’s Akida NPU addresses the demand for ultra-low power and incremental learning, inspired by the biology of human brain processing as part of my presentation at the Linley event.”
BrainChip’s Akida brings artificial intelligence to the edge in a way that existing technologies are not capable. The solution is high-performance, small, ultra-low power and enables a wide array of edge capabilities. The Akida (NSoC) and intellectual property, can be used in applications including Smart Home, Smart Health, Smart City and Smart Transportation. These applications include but are not limited to home automation and remote controls, industrial IoT, robotics, security cameras, sensors, unmanned aircraft, autonomous vehicles, medical instruments, object detection, sound detection, odor and taste detection, gesture control and cybersecurity.
For more than a decade, The Linley Group has delivered the industry’s premier processor conferences. The Linley Fall Processor Conference 2021 returns to Santa Clara October 20 and 21, with a virtual event October 27-29 and November 3-5 with live Q&A and breakout sessions. This year’s presentations will address processors and IP cores for AI applications, embedded, data center, automotive and server design.
Google Cloud for Serial 1eBikes
Serial 1, a premium eBike maker, today announced a partnership with Google Cloud to use their new Intelligent Product Essentials solution, an end-to-end software solution that enables companies to launch predictive, proactive, and intelligent features that drive business outcomes.
As one of the first companies deploying Intelligent Product Essentials, Serial 1 will use it to develop a user app and related connectivity features with the goal of empowering customers to personalize their eBike experience on a new level.
NSITEXE & Quadric Parntnering for AV, Maas & More
–NSITEXE, a Japanese subsidiary of DENSO with strong expertise in automotive and high-performance semiconductor IP for multiple industries and Quadric, an innovator in high-performance edge processing, announced they are partnering to leverage quadric’s processor IP together with NSITEXE’s processor IPs to develop safety solutions for automotive and other applications, such as autonomous driving, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) and smart sensors. NSITEXE’s processor IPs based RISC-V ISA are ISO 26262 ASIL D ready, ideal for automotive and other safety critical systems.
Quadric novel data-parallel processor architecture is designed to address the HPC & AI needs in a number of market segments including industrial IoT, imaging, medical, automotive and 5G communications markets. Quadric’s innovative processor IP architecture combines the benefits and programmability of a Turing complete GPGPU with the efficiency of a dataflow based accelerator. Quadric’s software, which is co-optimized with its hardware (processor IP), enables developers to deploy universal AI along with complimentary classical DSP and vision algorithms in a single solution.
myQ for Outlander
Mitsubishi Outlander and Eclipse Cross drivers with the My Mitsubishi Connect app and a myQ Connected Garage can now seamlessly transition garage control to their in-vehicle touch screen using Apple CarPlay®. Available in select 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander and select 2018 and newer Eclipse Cross vehicles, Mitsubishi Motors is the first manufacturer to offer the ability to open or close home garage doors directly from a car’s in-dash touchscreen – anytime, from anywhere.
GelSight Mobile probe Series 2
GelSight, a pioneer in tactile imaging and sensing technology, introduced the latest version of its GelSight Mobile™ probe, the Series 2. This new generation of GelSight’s mobile device offers a sleek form-factor that is one-third lighter and less than half the volume of its predecessor, allowing it to scan surfaces in tighter spaces, while maintaining accuracy, speed, and field of view.
GelSight’s technology enables digital tactile sensing with the sensitivity and resolution of human touch. Data captured by GelSight’s elastomeric tactile sensing platform leverages proprietary software and algorithms to provide detailed, accurate surface characterization that can generate significant gains in productivity both on the production floor and in the field while also reducing the costs associated with manual or tool-based visual inspection. The handheld GelSight Mobile device can be deployed on production and assembly lines to enable rapid and well documented quality assurance decisions. Dimensions of scratches, dents, hits, gaps, offset, hole diameter, and fastener flushness can be measured in high-resolution, on any surface, in seconds.
The Series 2 head size has been minimized, so it can be utilized across a wider variety of applications. This is especially critical in the automotive and aerospace industries where it can provide rapid, repeatable, non-destructive testing for manufacturing and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of engines, fuselages, and other critical components.
The Series 2 product addresses needs in new market verticals and creates new use cases as customers experience its game-changing performance first-hand. After bringing on new CEO, Youssef Benmokhtar, in June 2021, GelSight has set its sights on industries that can benefit from fast, accurate, micron-level measurements on a wide variety of surfaces, such as the additive manufacturing and energy sectors. The company will also continue to grow its core business in automotive, aerospace, and forensics.
“We took the accuracy, speed and mobility that our customers loved about the first-generation handheld device, and incorporated that into a smaller, more user-friendly form-factor that can deliver payback value in a matter of weeks in terms of saved production time, labor costs, and scrap,” said Youssef Benmokhtar, CEO, GelSight. “The introduction of Series 2 is ushering GelSight into a new era. We are digitizing tactile sensing to unlock new opportunities for in-line and off-line quality control innovation, across industries.”
“We use the GelSight Mobile for our MRO operations, and we are delighted to now incorporate the Mobile Series 2,” said Yann Siehen of Safran Helicopter Engines. “We had the opportunity to evaluate Series 2 and have been impressed by its performance. Its compact and lightweight design will definitely increase the number of use cases and will accelerate our return on investment.”
The GelSight Mobile Series 2 is shipping now.
Iteris Received Contract from City of Fremont, CA
Iteris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITI), the global leader in smart mobility infrastructure management, announced that it has been awarded a $940,000 contract by the City of Fremont to provide a comprehensive smart mobility and safety solution as part of the Fremont Boulevard Safe and Smart Corridor project, representing continued demand for Iteris’ advanced detection systems, software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions and services in northern California, a key geographic market.
Under the terms of the contract, Iteris will upgrade key intersections and arterials along a 10-mile section of Fremont Boulevard with hybrid video and radar detection systems to support the city’s vision of using smart mobility technologies to “move traffic efficiently along the corridor at a safe speed, ensure safe pedestrian and bicycle movement, [and] improve management of the traffic signal [systems]”.
Vector releases the new version 6 of DYNA4, the tool for virtual test driving. DYNA4 R6 expands the possibilities for testing ADAS functions through a variety of improvements in the environment sensor models and the visualization of scenarios. In addition, users benefit from new functions of the simulation standards ASAM OSI for sensor data communication as well as the road network ASAM OpenDRIVE.
With release 6, DYNA4, the simulation environment for virtual test driving, offers numerous improvements for the development and testing of modern driver assistance functions. One of the main priorities is the real-time, close-to-reality modeling of the environment. A technological leap in graphic computing for 3D visualization and camera image generation facilitates the consistent use of physical lighting parameters in driving scenarios. This enables developers to test camera-based control systems in challenging lighting situations such as backlighting or strongly varying light intensities. To achieve this, camera images are generated with a high dynamic range (HDR) and can then be arranged as Bayer matrix. DYNA4 additionally provides ASAM OSI ground truth information. The object information detected through image processing can be directly validated based on this information. The same also applies to other sensor technologies, such as lidar, ultrasound or radar.
DYNA4 is based on simulation standards and includes a variety of interfaces to maximize the possibilities when using the virtual test drives in an existing tool infrastructure. Based on the use of the ASAM OSI standard in DYNA4, object-based sensors can transmit information as OSI messages. Other applications receive these data to process them. For example CANoe, where the data is used for remaining bus simulation in HIL mode and displayed in the Scene Window. ASAM OSI thus considerably reduces the effort required to setup and maintain the interfaces between the simulation and the sensors or ECU functions.
Thanks to the optimization of the model structure, the new version 6 is more user-friendly in the consistent use from MIL, SIL to HIL. It is now even easier to integrate controller components into the virtual test vehicle. Different variants and development versions of a controller component can be exchanged with each other while the model interface remains constant, without the need for any further model changes. Furthermore, flexible access to signal and control variables in the model has been simplified allowing to manipulate them dynamically during a test run.
Fremont Boulevard is one of the city’s most well-traveled corridors and, as revealed in the 2015 Fremont Vision Zero Status Report and Action Plan, is a safety priority street, with 50% of the city’s fatalities occurring on segments of the corridor.
With Iteris’ Vantage Vector® hybrid video and radar detection systems, the City of Fremont will be able to differentiate between vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians to improve traffic flow and safety for all road users, while saving money.
In addition to its ability to differentiate between vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians for rich data and insights on trends in traffic volumes and modes of transportation, the Vantage Vector system has high-precision radar sensing technology that enables dilemma zone and red-light running safety applications. Vantage Vector’s advanced dilemma zone and red-light running detection capabilities help to reduce the risks of rear-end and right-angle collisions by either extending a signal phase to give drivers more time to react or enabling an all-red phase, pausing traffic until the intersection is cleared.
Under the multi-year contract, Iteris will also deploy its VantageLive!® SaaS solution to provide intersection analytics for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as its VantageCare™ detection system optimization service to enable the continuous monitoring and optimization of detection system performance. As part of the VantageCare service, Iteris will provide quarterly reports summarizing the health of detection systems and bi-annual trend reports with suggestions on optimizing traffic signal timing.
This combination of smart mobility solutions will enable the city to adjust traffic signal timing to accommodate slower-moving road users, and minimize congestion and delays. The reduced congestion, as well as the ability to reduce the risk of collisions at the intersection, will help to improve safety, while also improving air quality through reductions in carbon emissions.
Iteris’ advanced detection systems, SaaS solutions and services are key components of the ClearMobility™ Platform – the world’s most complete solution to continuously monitor, visualize and optimize mobility infrastructure. ClearMobility applies cloud computing, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors.
MACOM Certified
–MACOM Technology Solutions Inc. (“MACOM”), a leading supplier of semiconductor solutions, announced that its Lowell, Massachusetts semiconductor wafer fabrication and manufacturing facility has attained the IATF16949:2016 certification for automotive quality management systems.
IATF 16949 is built upon the ISO9001 framework and focuses on defect prevention, waste reduction and supply chain management for the international automotive industry. Achieving this certification demonstrates MACOM’s commitment to manufacturing high-quality, innovative, best-in-class products and solutions for automotive customers.
“MACOM’s IATF16949 certification supports our long-term growth strategy,” said Stephen G. Daly, President and Chief Executive Officer. “It also demonstrates our ability and commitment to meet the requirements of the automotive industry. The automotive industry’s semiconductor needs are rapidly expanding and we believe that our technology is a perfect fit to meet these growing demands.”