One of the key areas where artificial intelligence, machine learning and other new technologies are playing a major role is road transportation. Here are four startups working on innovative solutions that could revolutionize the way people drive and how traffic is managed.
One of the key areas where
artificial intelligence,
machine learning and other new technologies are playing a major role is
road transportation. Here are four startups working on innovative solutions that could revolutionize the way people drive and how
traffic is managed.
This Germany-based company offers an app that can provide real-time data from a car
— ranging from fuel usage to maintenance issues
— with the help of a
Bluetooth adapter.
“PACE has one of the largest manufacturer-independent automotive
IoT platforms and
big data clouds,” said Martin Kern, Founder and Managing Director of PACE. “On this basis, we offer a wide range of services for B2B customers. For example, remote diagnosis and customer loyalty for garages, [and] cloud-based microservices for automobile manufacturers such as our
mobile payment function for connected fueling.”
Kern believes several factors make PACE stand out in the market. These includes the range of features that the app offers, such as Automatic Emergency Call, Electronic Logbook, Performance Monitor, Find-My-Car Feature and Fuel-Saving-Trainer, as well as the fact the app uses Bluetooth instead of SIM cards, lowering the cost.
Based in Zurich, Embotech develops self-driving and driver assistance software using motion planning algorithms
— eschewing the use of machine learning in any form. Its
autonomous driving modules are based on its numerical software for automated decision making. The mathematical solvers and other codes for driving modules in this software are written in portable C, making them flexible for integration.
One notable feature of its solutions are its “fully deterministic” motion planners that depend solely on the capabilities of the vehicle and the surrounding areas detected.
Also working out of Zurich, WayRay has used
augmented reality (AR) technology to create a holographic navigation system for cars. The immersive AR experience does not require any headgear, and works by projecting holographic information onto a car's windscreen so that the virtual imagery moves along with the route and driving behavior.
The company has an SDK that enables programmers to build applications that can run on in-vehicle AR displays. This could potentially lead to the development of features such as safety alerts and pop up messages that drivers or passengers may be able to see on their AR display. This feature could get more popular in the future as autonomous cars become more common.
“The broad adoption of autonomous vehicles will spark a massive variety of AR applications to blend the virtual and real-world environment through holographic AR displays. We aim to create a platform — like an app store with bespoke content for drivers-turned-passengers — that will transform the automotive value chain, create new business models and reshape the whole mobility paradigm,” said Vitaly Ponomarev, Founder & CEO of WayRay, in a blog post.
The companies that we’ve mentioned so far are all focused on changing the way cars operate. Velerann, an Israel-based company, on the other hand, is aiming to develop smart roads fitted with solar-powered sensors that can provide actionable data. This includes information on
traffic flow, environmental conditions and object/incident detection.
Data is uploaded to a cloud and processed using machine learning algorithms and can be used to index, track and predict what is happening on the road. The company sees its technology being utilized in a number of areas, such as traffic management, mobility applications and smart vehicles.