IoT-enabled AI technologies for self-driving connected cars
In recent years, digital transformation has emerged as a key growth driver in several business sectors. Companies are exploring new ways of working with customers and building new frameworks of digital and autonomous systems. Such a shift towards digital transformation is even more important in urban mobility, especially to overcome the challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that by the year 2050, nearly half of the revenue from the mobility sector (> $9,000 Billion in total) will be from digital services including smart, digital finance, and shared services [1]. The automotive industry is also adapting with this trend, North American automakers have begun to transition from their conventional role as a vehicle manufacturer to a digital system and service platform integrator, reshaping new products and services to end-users. In the past two decades, significant advancements in the area of sensing, control, high-speed computing and AI have led to development of autonomous vehicles that drive themselves without human intervention to bring benefits such as reduction of traffic accidents. However, autonomous vehicles that rely solely on on-board sensors have restrictions on sensing range and operating conditions. By integrating vehicle autonomy with connectivity significant improvement of performance can be achieved for self-driving connected car. Therefore, in this article, we summarize the concept of self-driving connected cars and Hitachi’s connected vehicle solutions that could bring the values of safety, efficiency, and comfort to the in-car experience.
