Continental has adopted Renesas Electronics Corporation’s high-performance Renesas R-Car M3 System-on-Chip (SoC) for its first-generation Body High-Performance Computer (HPC). The HPC is an automotive computing platform that provides centralized control of vehicle systems and is equipped with secure gateway functionality to enable cloud service connectivity. The R-Car M3 supports over-the-air... Read more →

University of Colorado Boulder researchers, with colleagues at Boston University, have developed a new optical phased array concept—the serpentine OPA (SOPA)—that could support medium- to long-range lidar. An open-access paper on their work appears in the journal Optica. Optical phased arrays (OPAs) implemented in integrated photonic circuits could enable a... Read more →

Addressing the ongoing migration towards autonomous driving, Toshiba has introduced a high-resolution, long-range light-receiving technology for deployment in solid-state LiDAR systems. By removing the need for bulky mechanical components, the technology realizes cost and space savings and enhances operational reliability. At its heart is Toshiba’s proprietary compact, high-efficiency silicon photo-multiplier... Read more →

Automotive test system supplier AB Dynamics has launched a new static driving simulator, the aVDS-S. It brings unprecedented levels of driver immersion to this sector of the market and enhances its growing portfolio of testing equipment that links together to deliver highly detailed, consistent results. At a time when driver-in-the-loop... Read more →

Ford has awarded TomTom a global multi-year deal to provide Ford’s next-generation SYNC with its real-time traffic service. The all-new 2021 Ford F-150 pickup and the soon to be delivered all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV are the first Ford vehicles available with the technology. TomTom Traffic provides accurate, real-time traffic information,... Read more →

A collaboration between Neste, HERE Technologies, and PTV Group indicates that traffic-related CO2 emissions can be reduced by choosing the right driving route, especially in urban areas on short trips with private cars. Earlier this spring, Neste and its partners tested the emissions of different route options by installing measuring... Read more →

Using radar commonly deployed to track speeders and fastballs, researchers have developed an automated system that will allow cars to peer around corners and spot oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Researchers combined artificial intelligence and radar used to track speeders to develop a system that will allow vehicles to spot hazards... Read more →

Volkswagen will offer a plug-in hybrid drive generating 160 kW (218 PS) for the updated Arteon product line for the first time, in addition to offering TSI (gasoline) and (in some markets) TDI (diesel) options. The Arteon has been the Volkswagen Gran Turismo since 2017. Volkswagen is now unveiling a... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA plan to enter into a cooperation to create a new in-vehicle computing system and AI computing infrastructure. Starting in 2024, this will be rolled out across the fleet of next-generation Mercedes-Benz vehicles, enabling them with upgradable automated driving functions. The new software-defined architecture will be built on... Read more →

Phantom AI Inc., a developer of a vehicle-agnostic autonomous driving platform, announced the joint development with Renesas Electronics Corporation of full stack Level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) solutions. Phantom AI offers a flexible, automotive-grade ADAS solution on Renesas’ single, low-power R-Car V3H system-on-chip (SoC), which provides enough computing... Read more →

Audi has opened its new Audi Automated Driving Development (A2D2) R&D office in San Jose to create Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) specifically for the North American market. A2D2 will have the flexibility to develop new software quickly and to collaborate with nearby startups for production-intent applications. Audi expects the... Read more →

AEye, Inc. has introduced 4Sight, a new sensor family built on its (Intelligent Detection and Ranging (iDAR) platform. Countering previous assumptions that high-performing long-range 1550nm LiDAR could not achieve both solid state reliability and lower cost, 4Sight delivers performance, reliability and price. Current LiDAR sensors rely on an array of... Read more →

Toshiba Corporation has developed technology that can predict automobile and drone movement with high accuracy. Motion Estimation AI uses on-board cameras and inertial sensors that measure acceleration and angular velocity to deliver highly accurate estimates of the movement of a drone or a vehicle, while Motion Prediction AI predicts the... Read more →

Israeli startup TriEye, the developer of Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) sensing technology which enhances visibility in adverse weather and night time conditions, has officially revealed Sparrow, the first CMOS-based SWIR camera. InGaAs-based SWIR cameras have been around for decades, serving the science, aerospace, and defense industries, but have not been used... Read more →

Henkel introduced Bergquist Gap Filler TGF 7000, its latest thermal interface material (TIM) innovation. The liquid TIM is a major formulation breakthrough, as it effectively marries high thermal conductivity of 7.0 W/mK with a maximum possible speed tested of 18 grams per second, a combination which is currently the only... Read more →

FLIR Systems announced the availability of its first European thermal imaging regional dataset and the third in a series of thermal imaging datasets for machine vision testing. Designed to help researchers, developers and auto manufacturers enhance and accelerate work on safety, advanced driver assistance-systems (ADAS), automatic emergency braking (AEB) and... Read more →

Munich-based LiDAR start-up Blickfeld has completed its Series A financing round. The new financing was led by the venture capital unit of Continental together with Wachstumsfonds Bayern, which is managed by Bayern Kapital, with participation of the existing investors Fluxunit – OSRAM Ventures, High-Tech Gründerfonds, TEV (Tengelmann Ventures) and Unternehmertum... Read more →

The Euro NCAP consortium has given an Advanced Award for ground-breaking safety features to the new Volkswagen Golf’s Car2X traffic hazard alert technology. The German automotive association ADAC tested the new technology and declared it a “technical milestone”. The new Golf is the first car on the European market to... Read more →

Toyota Research Institute - Advanced Development, Inc. (TRI-AD) and Dynamic Map Platform Co., Ltd. (DMP) will partner to build a proof-of-concept (PoC) applying the technologies of both companies starting April 2020. This PoC aims to demonstrate the efficient update of DMP’s high definition (HD) maps by using TRI-AD’s open software... Read more →

In light of new findings by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) related to investigation of a fatal Tesla crash in 2018 related to Tesla Autopilot, Consumer Reports called for manufacturers to include key safety features in any vehicle that has an active driving assistance system and for the National... Read more →

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has developed a motion prediction system that enhances pedestrian detection for automated vehicles. The computer vision tool uses a novel deep learning algorithm to predict motion by observing real-time biomechanical movements with the pelvic area being a key indicator for changes. SwRI’s human motion prediction system... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation has developed an Acceleration Suppression Function that used big data collected from connected cars to help identify abnormal operation of the accelerator and control acceleration. Toyota plans to install the function in new cars and introduce a new retrofit accelerator control system that will include the function... Read more →

NXP Semiconductors N.V., the world’s largest supplier of automotive semiconductors, has introduced a multi-gigabit Ethernet switch designed to help automakers deliver the high-speed networks required for evolving connected vehicles. The NXP SJA1110 is the first automotive Ethernet switch with safety capabilities built in, offering integrated 100BASE-T1 PHYs, hardware-assisted security as... Read more →

In cooperation with Poznań University of Technology, Solaris is developing an advanced driver assistance system for city buses, mostly electric ones. Devised jointly by engineers of Solaris and of the Poznań University of Technology, the system will facilitate the performance of simple and complex maneuvers, such as driving forward and... Read more →

Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc. and TomTom (TOM2), the location technology specialist, are collaborating on a proof-of-concept for the development of a new real-time hazard service for navigation and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Through the collaboration, the companies will combine technological strengths to deliver real-time updates on the location... Read more →

Bosch is adding a new long-range lidar to its sensor portfolio for automated driving. The new Bosch sensor will cover both long and close ranges on highways and in the city. By exploiting economies of scale, Bosch wants to reduce the price for the sophisticated technology and render it suitable... Read more →

Oculii, a company developing high resolution imaging radars to enable the next generation of autonomous systems, and Infineon are collaborating on radar software solutions that scale performance for cost-effective single chip solutions tailored for Level 1 ADAS, all the way to multi-chip high performance solutions tailored for Level 4 Autonomous... Read more →

Continental will premier its new Contact Sensor System (CoSSy) at CES 2020 next month in Las Vegas, Nevada. CoSSy closes a gap in the industry’s automotive sensor portfolio by enabling the detection of low-speed contact between a vehicle and a person or object. At CES 2020, Continental will demonstrate how... Read more →

Since June 2019, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has been supplying the new heavy-duty Actros truck with MirrorCam—side-mounted digital rear-view mirrors—as a standard feature. The digital rear-view mirror not only looks futuristic but can also do much more than conventional main and wide-angle mirrors. Its performance far exceeds the legal requirements. The MirrorCam... Read more →

Hyundai Mobis has developed a new rear-autonomous emergency braking (R-AEB) technology that uses ultra short-range radar (USRR) for the first time. The new technology is expected to contribute greatly to prevent unexpected backover crashes since it responds faster and has a wider detection range than conventional ultrasound sensors used in... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group has developed what it says it the world’s first Machine-Learning-based Smart Cruise Control (SCC-ML)—a technology that incorporates the driver’s patterns into its self-driving behavior, creating a custom experience for the driver. The technology incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) within the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) feature. The system... Read more →

In Japan, Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) unveiled the new model Yaris. Scheduled to go on sale in Japan starting in mid-February 2020, the new Yaris will be exhibited at VenusFort in Odaiba, Tokyo during the Tokyo Motor Show 2019. The new Yaris will also be displayed in showrooms throughout Japan... Read more →

Delphi Technologies, a global provider of propulsion technologies, is pairing vehicle electrification advances with existing and emerging automated and connected vehicle systems to boost fuel economy, lower emissions, and extend driving range. Initial testing of what it calls “Intelligent Driving” has demonstrated a greater than 10% reduction in CO2 compared... Read more →

General Motors partnered with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to understand the real-world effectiveness of some of its available active safety, driver assistance, and advanced headlighting features that may prevent or mitigate different types of crashes. The results show that several of these features are making a statistically... Read more →

Consumer Reports said that emails and other government documents released publicly for the first time show failures by Tesla regarding its safety claims and the performance of Autopilot. Consumer Reports (CR) said that the documents reveal that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must do more to ensure investigations... Read more →

Nissan Motor Co. has adopted Renesas’ automotive technology for the ProPILOT 2.0 system featured in the new Nissan Skyline unveiled in July. The driver assistance system combines navigated highway driving with hands-off, single-lane driving capabilities, employing Renesas’ R-Car automotive system-on-chip (SoC) and RH850 automotive control microcontroller (MCU) to implement core... Read more →

Velodyne Lidar, Inc. has acquired mapping and localization software as well as intellectual property assets from Mapper.ai. Mapper technology will enable Velodyne to accelerate development of Vella, software that establishes its directional view Velarray lidar sensor. The Velarray is the first solid-state Velodyne lidar sensor that is embeddable and fits... Read more →

Audi is adding the Q3 Sportback compact SUV in coupé shape to its model range. For the market launch in Europe, a gasoline and a diesel engine are available. With 169 kW (230 metric hp), the 2.0 TFSI is the most powerful engine. The 2.0 TDI has an output of... Read more →

Supplier of advanced automotive test systems AB Dynamics (ABDP) has acquired the simulation software specialist rFpro. This strengthens the company’s position in the simulation-based verification market for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and autonomous vehicles. rFpro is a specialist in driving simulation for ADAS, autonomous systems and vehicle dynamics. Its... Read more →

Volvo Active Driver Assist (VADA) 2.0, a comprehensive collision mitigation system, will be made standard in the new Volvo VNR and VNL models, and available on VNX models, later this year. The system enhances the original VADA platform by integrating radar and camera capabilities to help drivers maintain a safe... Read more →

The Lexus Safety System+ will be a standard feature in all US Lexus vehicles starting with the 2020 model year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there were nearly 6.5 million reported crashes in 2017 (the most recent available data) many of which were avoidable. Collisions that... Read more →

Innovusion Inc., a designer and developer of hybrid Solid State LiDAR systems for vehicle safety applications, announced the availability of its Cheetah system. Based on a rotating polygon optical architecture, Innovusion has melded together proprietary detector electronics, advanced optics and sophisticated software algorithms to offer a long-distance, high-resolution LiDAR vehicle... Read more →

NIO has updated the NIO Pilot advanced driving assistant system (ADAS), adding seven features. At the same time, the company announced the NIO OS smart operating system was upgraded to NIO OS 2.0, and unveiled a new user experience (UX) vehicle interaction and user interface (UI) design. The NIO Pilot... Read more →

ZF has developed the Dual-cam two-lens camera specifically designed for the commercial truck market and to be used in concert with other ZF ADAS technologies. The camera features ZF’s longitudinal and lateral vehicle control expertise combined with Mobileye’s advanced EyeQ4 processor. Part of ZF’s S-Cam4 family of automotive-grade cameras, the... Read more →

Renesas Electronics Corporation continues to accelerate the development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) systems with new Perception Quick Start Software based on its R-Car V3H system-on-chip (SoC). The solution delivers reference software for camera obstacle detection (COD), LiDAR obstacle detection (LOD), and road feature detection (RFD)—three key recognition areas... Read more →

Audi is introducing the vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) service “Traffic Light Information” in Europe. From July, Audi will network new models with the traffic lights in Ingolstadt/Germany; further European cities will follow from 2020 onwards. Equipped cars will be more likely to catch a “green wave” in the city; Audi drivers will... Read more →

Electronic control units (ECUs) are playing an increasingly critical role in the automotive industry, driving the development of safer, smarter, cleaner and better-connected cars. As a result, IHS Markit expects global automotive ECU revenue to soar to $211 billion in 2030, rising at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of... Read more →

ZF announced ZF coPILOT, an intelligent advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) leading to enhanced safety and driving comfort opportunities. Leveraging the power of AI and equipped with a comprehensive sensor set, vehicles can perform various automated driving functions, especially on freeways. In addition, ZF coPILOT can be operated with voice... Read more →

Lumotive, a Bill Gates-funded startup developing LiDAR systems for autonomous vehicles, introduced a beam-steering technology which will significantly improve the performance, reliability and cost of LiDAR systems for the emerging self-driving car industry. Initially targeting the robo-taxi market, Lumotive’s patented system uses Liquid Crystal Metasurfaces (LCM) and silicon fabrication to... Read more →

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has made awards under the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for a Phase 1 Truck Platooning Early Deployment Assessment. This project is being conducted to understand how truck platoons will operate in a realistic, operational environment. Previous research has resulted in the development of truck platooning... Read more →