Features
12 Jan 21

Artificial intelligence rules at digital-only CES2021

As always, CES is the mecca of technological innovation. This year, it is a digital-only event, but that didn't stop exhibitors from unveiling their latest products and services. A common thread was artificial intelligence, which promises to have many practical applications in mobility. Here's our top 5 of the first day of CES 2021.

Mobileye: AVs for everyone and everywhere

Mobileye announced new autonomous vehicle test fleets in Detroit, Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris and New York for early this year. To date, Mobileye-equipped cars have mapped nearly 1 billion kilometres globally, with more than 8 million kilometres mapped daily.

Mobileye promises to deliver a sensing solution that is orders of magnitude more capable than human drivers. However, for AVs to become mainstream, their cost needs to go down. Mobileye believes that can be achieved by starting with an inexpensive camera as the primary sensor combined with a secondary, redundant sensing system that enables safety-critical performance.

The company says it can send AVs to new countries without sending specialised engineers to those new locations, an approach first successfully carried out in Munich and Detroit last year.

Mercedes: MBUX gets even smarter

The new MBUX Hyperscreen has a width of 141 centimetres, split into three apparently seamlessly merged displays, making it the largest human-machine interface Mercedes has ever built. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the display and operating system adapt completely to the user and make personalised suggestions for numerous infotainment, comfort and vehicle functions depending on the situation.

The MBUX will be launched in the fully electric EQS luxury saloon.

The new interface also includes Mercedes Travel Knowledge, a smart function that evaluates map data as well as its surroundings, allowing it to provide a lot of information about landmarks along the route. This feature will also be immediately available in the new S-Class via an over-the-air update.

Bosch: AI and connectivity to protect people and the environment

Bosch is counting on AIoT to improve people’s health and to protect our planet, taking advantage of the possibilities offered by data, artificial intelligence and the internet of things.

A concrete example is a sensor that measures factors such as air quality and relative humidity to deliver information about the concentration of aerosols in the air – data that has become especially important in the fight against the coronavirus.

Bosch also presented a security camera that can measure body temperature contactlessly, anonymously and with high precision, with a maximum deviation of half a degree.

In the mobility sphere, drivers of EVs can benefit from services such as Battery in the Cloud, which uses smart software analysis to reduce battery wear by up to 20%.

GM: new safety brand emphasises safety for everyone

General Motors introduced Periscope, a new safety brand that represents a new approach to vehicle safety, focusing on three key areas: vehicle technology, research and advocacy. The intention is not only to help the safety of drivers and passengers but also of those outside the vehicle.

Under the vehicle technology pillar, GM intends to develop and implement new tech that can further reduce driver error, using available features and leveraging research and testing. As part of its research commitment, GM works with world-class research institutes to study how safety technologies are making a real-world difference on the path to a world with zero crashes. GM is also committed to advocacy, working with groups like Safety Kids Worldwide.

5. Harman: 5G-enabled tech ready for the future

Harman unveiled TBOT, a new intelligent software agent that anticipates and mitigates vehicle connectivity discrepancies on the road. TBOT satisfies the current demand for high-speed connectivity with low latency and can be used alongside 5G-enabled technologies of Harman.

Drivers can benefit from a heightened user experience, as TBOT predicts and optimises the available connectivity options to match the bandwidth and latency demands of live streaming, gaming and other performance-demanding applications. TBOT should also guarantee increased cost savings and a lowered energy consumption.

Authored by: Benjamin Uyttebroeck