The new telematics will allow autonomous vehicles to communicate and share data with each other. (Image credit: LG Electronics)
LG knows that it would be beneficial for self-driving vehicles to communicate with one another- traffic, road conditions and accident warnings would be significant data to have on hand when on the road. It’s with those capabilities in mind that LG has announced a partnership with HERE, purveyors of autonomous technologies, to get self-driving cars to communicate and share data with other AVs on the road.
LG is looking to capitalize on HERE’s mapping/location/data aggregate technology to develop A telematics package autonomous vehicles can use as a communications hub for semi and entirely independent cars. LG isn’t new to the AV game, having previously stepped into the telematics world with the development of their infotainment systems and their more recent ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) platform, designed to help drivers in more adverse environments.
The partnership is expected to produce an incorporated technology for AVs that includes GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and mobile networks (along with the upcoming 5G standard) to communicate data with other AVs through in-car information systems (navigation/technology centers) using stacked fused sensor data (multiple sensor information), telematics and crowd-sourced data. While LG will offer-up their ADAS platform, HERE will contribute the company’s HD Live Map system, which identifies all roads and their surrounding features- including lane markings, stop/speed signs, traffic lights and crosswalks among a host of others.
HERE’s HD Live Map system identifies road information in real-time for easy navigation for autonomous vehicles. (Image credit: LG Electronics)
LG is betting on telematics systems playing a prominent role for future AVs, stating in their press release, “When fully developed, telematics will play a key role as the communication hub for autonomous vehicles. First, sensors in the vehicle’s ADAS – comprised of cameras, radar, and lidar – read the surrounding environment and send the data to the cloud along with information on nearby vehicles collected via V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything). All the information gathered is repeatedly analyzed and transmitted to the telematics systems of vehicles for customized driving information.”
LG states their engineers are working “earnestly” to develop 5G products, which are purported to be 5-times faster than LTE but with a 90% reduction in latency, making it perfect for AV applications. Considering that the most significant fear people have on using AVs is the safety factor- or rather the fear of giving up total control to the vehicle, it will be interesting to see if this new technology will help to assuage those fears.
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