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CES has always been about tech, even thought automobiles have become a bigger part of the show in recent years. The hyper-intersection of auto and tech is the autonomous vehicle (AV), so, logically, it was a focal point of CES 2020. Attendees heard about the latest advances in autonomous technologies, but were also given opportunities to experience the state-of-the-art first-hand (as opposed to hands-on).
According to Danny Shapiro, Nvidia’s senior director of automotive, this year saw a bit a retrenching in the approach to autonomous technology. He noted that while AV is designed to ultimately replace the driver behind the wheel, it may enable more human-machine interaction in the rest of the vehicle. Shapiro speaks from a position of deep knowledge since his company, Nvidia, supplies the super chips that are at the core of many AV systems from the major car makers like Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volvo, among the many automotive customers of the company.
The highlights of show for Shapiro were the Sony Vision-S prototype, which we covered earlier. Sony was part of the automotive team that helped Sony pull off the surprising job of creating a car that looked like it would be at home in any showroom today. For Sony, it was a chance to showcase its sensors and entertainment systems driven by artificial intelligence (AI), both of which are big consumers of data that needs the Nvidia processors to help speed things along.
Mercedes Blends Film & Car
Mercedes-Benz showed up with a wilder concept that looked further from production than the Sony car. It’s Vision AVTR (get it, Avatar, from the movie) featured its next generation MBUX infotainment technology, powered of course by Nvidia and focused on the symbiosis between the human and machine. The AWD car uses intuitive gesture control, with the center console replacing the steering wheel and using biometrics to control the car. Mercedes describes this as an immersive experience space, with devices that expose real world phenomena not visible to the human eye, such as magnetic fields, bioenergy or ultraviolet light.
It claims a 435-mile range from its 110 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery, which have an energy density of up to 1,200 Wh/liter. It is based on graphene-based organic cell chemistry and eliminates rare, toxic and expensive metals usually found in batteries. Because of its composition, it is completely recyclable. Along with that, it will be capable of a full recharge in less than 15 minutes. Total power from its four electric motors is 469 horsepower.
The idea is that this will facilitate more natural interactions between the drive and the vehicle. While the ATVR system is not available on the current MBUX system, that system does use AI and is found on 20 Mercedes models.
Robotaxis in Town
The Nvidia Drive ecosystem showed up in Vegas on cars from the robotaxi company Yandex. CES-goers got the chance to experience a driverless ride in the Yandex Prius that were capable to speeds up to 45 mph (of course, that’s highly unlikely on the Strip), making unprotected left turns, navigating multilane street and crosswalks in heavy traffic. While “driverless,” they did have a safety driver in the seat to meet local regulations and reassure passengers.
The goal was show off Yandex’ new sensor array, part of a suite of AV hardware and software. The two Prius had three lidar units, six radar units and six cameras, as well as a GNSS sensor. The company is developing a proprietary lidar system for specific self-driving tasks that will allow costs to be reduced. It also has an autonomous delivery robot, the Yandex.Rover, that was not part of the rides, but good end up delivering your pizza someday instead of someone in a robotaxi.
Since last year, the company has driven 1.5 million autonomous miles in Russia, Israel and the U.S., and given more than 5,000 robotaxi rides with no human driver touching the steering wheel. Next stop for the robotaxis is the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in June.
Supplier Tech Dreams
Automotive supplier Faurecia Clarion demonstrated an autonomous valet system at CES with the goal of taking the stress out of parking. Its system used the Nvidia Drive AGX platform.
Another supplier, Luminar introduced its Hydra lidar sensor. Powered by Nvidia’s Xavier system, it is designed to be employed as part of a Level 3 or 4 autonomous system to detect and classify objects up to 250 meters (almost three football fields) away.
Using the Nvidia Drive platform, Analog Devices demoed its imaging radar point cloud at CES, a key technology for AVs to see and comprehend the world around them. The Nvidia hardware helps the radar to process raw data into a perception point cloud for use by the system.
CES 2020 was another milestone in the drive toward autonomous vehicles and the technology that is needed to support them. With the assumption of the arrival of AV, some of the focus is now shifting to provide entertainment and an environment conducive to work or play while the vehicle gets you to your destination. As has been said, it may be that the journey becomes its own reward in the coming AV world.
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