AI in the Local Automotive Industry

REGION AI in the Local Automotive Industry The University of Ostrava (Ostravská univerzita), represented by the development team of the Institute for Research and Applications of Fuzzy Modeling (Ústav pro výzkum a aplikace fuzzy modelování), started collaboration with the Czech branch of the global producer of automotive lights, Varroc Lighting Systems. This company became the partner of the University of Ostrava during the Centre for Research and Development of Methods of Artificial Intelligence in Automotive Industry of the Region project (Centrum pro výzkum a vývoj metod umělé inteligence v automobilovém průmyslu regionu), performed within Operational Programme Research, Development, and Education. Prof. Jiří Močkoř, Head of the Research Team, summarizes the principles of this collaboration. Current trends in the development of front lamps demand that lighting systems actively and intelligently respond to whatever happens in front of the vehicle in motion regardless of the speed and weather. It means that the front lamps must interact with visual input from cameras installed inside the vehicle. Processing such information and instigating a relevant response from the front lamps is the principal focus of the collaboration. Our team is developing the software based on methods of AI to facilitate (using thousands of segments in the front lamps) lighting up a particular section of the scene, or dim the light in a certain art. The methods in development are unique in the sense that they do not require special peripheries such as LIDAR or something of that nature, allowing for spacial reasoning which considerably reduces the costs of ownership. The range of modern LED or laser lights is a few hundred meters. If you point standard light at a motorcycle, common rectangle approximation would go beyond it, which would dazzle other road users and put them in danger. Another dangerous situation is when motorway road signs with reflection film dazzle the drivers if lit up by a strong lamp. And a very special category includes pedestrians whose heads should be lighted softly for their comfort, and their bodies with greater intensity to increase their safety. This is why the performance of the front lamp needs to adapt to each object of the scene individually in real time. The development team at the University of Ostrava has a range of opportunities to go further in the research and implement current experience in the detection and recognition of visible objects in real time. Varroc Lighting Systems truly supports this state-of-the-art innovation through this collaboration. Text: Prof. Jiří Močkoř Foto: archiv Ostravská univerzita www.osu.cz POSITIV 3/2019 ǀ 29