Mediating Between the Worlds

Automotive and IT, hardware and software, products and services: many worlds are currently converging. IAV is a driving force behind this development, benefiting from its overall expertise transcending frontiers of technology and industry. This became particularly apparent at the CES 2019 (January 8 to 11 in Las Vegas). Under the motto „Journey towards digital mobility“, the IAV booth presented solutions extending from individual new vehicle functions through to innovations for the overall “mobility” system.

Visitors to the show could take a look at IAV‘s ideas for the future of mobility in the Innovation Hub on the CES premises, with a demonstrator vehicle as well as a VR area and numerous meeting points for discussions. „Compared to previous years, it was quite noticeable that we are now seeing solutions based on previous visions for the digital mobility of the future“, says Carsten Rinka, Global Sales Director at IAV. „Two of the key drivers are autonomous driving and vehicle connectivity.“

The changes begin already at the start of the journey. Recent years have seen many discussions about biometric solutions for access control and clearance to start the vehicle. Weaknesses have emerged in previous approaches based on fingerprints, among others. IAV is therefore working with its partner FaceTec Inc. on camera-based systems. A 3- D face scan provides biometric authentication for getting in the car, while cameras in the passenger compartment also provide important information. They recognize, for example, whether a seat is occupied by a person or a parcel, whether the driver is tired and how severely the passengers are injured after a crash.

Camera data obtained in the passenger compartment can also be used for comfort functions such as individual seat and chassis adjustments as well as emotion-based, adaptive interior lighting. The concept appeals particularly to car-sharing providers or fleet operators: reliable authentication ensures that only authorized persons use the vehicle.

Despite individual seat settings and situational lighting, a long journey can still get boring, particularly for children on the backseat. IAV‘s Side Window Entertainment promises more fun in the car for children and all other passengers. In future, the windows will be used for projecting augmented reality information or games. An outside camera films the surroundings of the vehicle while a 3-D camera inside the vehicle monitors the occupant‘s line of vision. Places of interest are marked by touch points on a transparent OLED display on the side window. Pressing the touch points then reveals information about the specific object. And if the family is held up in congestion on the motorway, the children can connect with the car in the next lane and play Connect Four on the side window with other children.

IAV demonstrated Side Window Entertainment in a showcase at the CES 2019. In future, solutions like these are likely to become key distinguishing features between vehicles. As well as providing useful information about the surroundings, they can also be used for Office applications, games or learning apps. In addition, in autonomous vehicles the windshield can also be used as a movie screen during the journey.

If technical problems occur en route, in future this will not necessarily interrupt the journey. Today, many diagnostic processes can already be conducted through remote servicing without the vehicle needing to be physically present in the repair workshop, thanks to DiSA. IAV‘s Digital Service Assistant connects the repair workshop, vehicle and customer, providing the basis for smart service in future. It is particularly useful in situations where the driver needs immediate assistance.

At the CES, IAV presented its Remote Service Center as a new DiSA component. A dashboard supports the service engineer with remote diagnosis: this is something that almost no service center offers today but will become increasingly significant in future. The dashboard facilitates functions such as reading diagnostic data (e.g. DTCs), reading, displaying and analyzing CAN raw data (e.g. measurement and actuator data), many predictive diagnoses and also end-2-end diagnostics, particularly for online services. The result is a comprehensive view of the status of a vehicle from a distance. The status of a whole vehicle fleet can also be visualized in this way. The driver can also be informed whether the journey can be continued, or he can be given instructions to help himself using state-of-the-art augmented reality functions on his smart phone.

The role that people play in the vehicle will also change. Autonomous vehicles will no longer need someone to sit behind the steering wheel. As a result, all occupants are passengers – with far-reaching consequences, including the seating arrangements for passengers. Today, all passengers look to the front in parallel seats, but future vehicles will offer far more flexibility. They can sit opposite each other, form a discussion group or lie down to rest. But this needs new seat concepts. At the CES, IAV presented its Coquille („shell“) seat that offers a new combination of comfort and safety. The seat creates an individual space in the passenger compartment where passengers can withdraw if they want to enjoy various entertainment services. Maximum passenger safety is a key issue. In addition to a belt system, seven airbags provide passive safety. If a crash cannot be avoided, the IAV Coquille automatically returns to an upright position that optimizes the passenger‘s chances of survival (active safety). In future, the IAV Coquille will be fully detachable from the basic drive system. Depending on requirements, the seat shells can be fitted on completely different drive units.

OEMs and suppliers depend on video images of real road traffic, particularly for developing new autonomous vehicle functions. However, a problem has arisen here since the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect in May 2018. Anyone using such video images for algorithm training breaches data protection law. IAV has therefore developed the IAV Maskin tool which uses artificial intelligence to anonymize data without loss of information. It replaces the filmed faces with synthetic equivalents that have the same expression, line of vision and personality attributes as the original.

By comparison, previous solutions such as pixelating the faces are associated with major drawbacks, because they inevitably result in the loss of information and also prevent further development of new functions for automated driving. IAV Maskin ensures the continued development of camera-based driver assist or infrastructure monitoring systems.

The IAV booth was well frequented, as in previous years. Trade visitors and the media showed great interest in individual solutions and also in the underlying idea of future digital mobility. „The CES 2019 has shown that the automotive industry continues to go through rapid changes, with new technologies, products and services presenting challenges for OEMs and suppliers alike“, comments Rinka. „This makes companies like IAV all the more important with their role of building bridges between the different worlds and their broad range of expertise which lets them work with their customers towards the digital mobility of the future.“