Industry News
Microchip acquires VSI to expand automotive networking portfolio
Microchip Technology Inc. has finalized the acquisition of VSI, a Korean company specializing in high-speed, asymmetric connectivity technologies for automotive applications.
The acquisition aims to strenghten Microchip’s automotive networking portfolio, integrating VSI’s ASA Motion Link technology with Microchip’s existing Ethernet and PCIe solutions. The transaction details have not been disclosed.
“This acquisition brings VSI’s knowledgeable team, their market traction and ASA Motion Link technologies and products to Microchip’s expansive automotive networking portfolio to better serve the ADAS megatrend we are focused on,” said Mitch Obolsky, senior vice president of Microchip’s automotive products, networking and data center business units.
Hayden AI launches automated double parking enforcement solution for road safety
Vision AI and spatial analytics specialist Hayden AI has introduced an automated double parking enforcement solution aimed at enhancing road safety and public transit.
The solution, built upon the company’s vision AI platform, uses the same hardware and AI technology as Hayden AI’s existing enforcement platform for bus lanes, bus stops and bike lanes. Targeting illegal double parking, the solution has been designed to mitigate roadway hazards caused by obstructed travel lanes, improving road safety and transit performance.
Double parking introduces challenges for both road safety and public transit, by impeding the flow of traffic. With automated double parking enforcement, agencies can identify and enforce violations related to illegal double parking on a larger scale.
Wayve launches multimodal driving model Lingo-2
Wayve, which specializes in AI technology for assisted and automated driving, has introduced Lingo-2, a closed-loop driving model that integrates vision, language and action to help explain and determine driving behavior.
Lingo-2 has become the first vision-language-action model (VLAM) to undergo testing on public roads.
Building on its previous research model, Lingo-1, which focused on open-loop driving commentary, Lingo-2 integrates language and driving behavior, which “opens up new capabilities for autonomous driving and human-vehicle interaction,” Wayve says. These include adapting driving behaviours through language prompts, interrogating the AI model in real time, and capturing real-time driving commentary.
Euro NCAP approves AB Dynamics’ LaunchPad Spin for official testing
AB Dynamics’ ADAS target platform LaunchPad Spin has received approval from Euro NCAP. The platform is the latest addition to AB Dynamics’ range of officially listed test equipment, which provides approved target and propulsion solutions for a variety of test scenarios involving cars, motorcycles and pedestrians.
The LaunchPad Spin is designed to carry a variety of vulnerable road user (VRU) targets, including pedestrians, cyclists, e-scooters and animals. It is also compatible with the Soft Pedestrian 360, a fully approved pedestrian target and propulsion testing solution.
Equipped with AB Dynamics’ latest RC software, the LaunchPad Spin offers precise positioning, rapid scenario reset and coordination of all test objects with an accuracy of 2cm.
Nio integrates automotive-grade GPT technology into in-car assistant NOMI
Chinese auto manufacturer Nio has introduced automotive-grade GPT technology to its in-car assistant NOMI across its range of smart EVs in Europe.
The rollout of NOMI GPT began on April 5 via over-the-air updates through the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, starting with Nio’s entire European range of smart EVs on the NT2.0 platform. This update makes NOMI among the first in-vehicle artificial intelligence systems to incorporate GPT technology as a standard feature. It is initially available in English, German and Norwegian.
The GPT technology feature aims to complement the abilities of Nio’s in-car assistant, by addressing more complex queries and providing more intuitive and human-like voice control capabilities while also delivering vehicle-specific information.
FEATURE: Behind the wheel of an Inceptio autonomous truck on a 900km haul through eastern China
Inceptio, a Chinese developer of autonomous driving technologies for heavy-duty trucks, recently gave AAVI an exclusive insight into how it continues to help Deppon Express improve efficiency on its regular Shanghai-Jinan operational route.
Deppon began trial operations of Inceptio’s technology in September 2021 and has continued to use it ever since. This particular case study follows a recent trip in February, and shows how Inceptio’s technology helped a single driver complete a nearly 13-hour run from Shanghai through rain, fog and strong winds.
On the road
On a cold February morning in Shanghai, driver Shuangying Li starts the engine of a 6X4 heavy-duty truck.
City of Detroit launches autonomous shuttle pilot project
Detroit, in collaboration with Bedrock, Michigan Central, and the State Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), is set to deploy ‘Connect,’ an autonomous vehicle (AV) transit pilot aimed at advancing the city’s commitment to zero-emission public transportation.
The Connect pilot will establish a shuttle service on a a 10.8-mile route between Michigan Central and Detroit’s East Riverfront . Funding of US$1.5m (US$500,000 from each company) for the first year has been secured from Michigan Central, Bedrock and the State OFME.
“Through collaborative efforts, we not only aim to provide a reliable and efficient transportation experience connecting neighborhoods, transit routes and modes and economic hubs but also position Detroit at the forefront of the autonomous vehicle race,” said Tim Slusser, chief of the City of Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation.
BrightDrive and SiMa.ai collaborate on AD technology development
Autonomous driving (AD) technology company BrightDrive has partnered with SiMa.ai, a company specializing in software-centric embedded edge machine learning systems-on-chip, to accelerate innovation in autonomous driving.
The companies are looking to leverage SiMa.ai’s MLSoC technology alongside BrightDrive’s advanced hardware platform.
BrightDrive’s autonomous driving HW Platform is designed to support self-driving applications ranging from Level 1 to 5. This platform, BrightDrive says, has processing capabilities, high data bandwidth, low power consumption and is Automotive Safety Integrity Level D (ISO 26262) compliant. It is slated for release by late 2026.
SiMa.ai’s MLSoC platform is purpose-built to support the deployment and scalability of machine learning models at the embedded edge.