Paris-based startup Nexyad, a developer of an embedded, real-time platform for aggregating onboard data, and Here Technologies, which specializes in location data and technology platforms, are now working together to apply cognitive AI to road safety.
Nexyad uses cognitive AI to aggregate extensive data sources in a vehicle in real time and interprets them to assess whether a certain driving behavior is appropriate given the surrounding context. The resulting assessment, that can easily be delivered to a driver via a cell phone, can be calculated from four sets of data only: Here map, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), electronic horizon and acceleration. Nexyad says its platform is also scalable and can aggregate data from advanced driving assistant systems (ADAS) sensors to include camera, radar and lidar, weather (visibility and temperature), and traffic data.
The real-time data aggregation platform provides two output values 20 times every second: the lack of caution of the driver and the maximum speed recommended given the road conditions – the legal speed limit, road roughness, topography of the road, weather and traffic. Nexyad says it bases its analysis on several thousand road accident reports, using a set of rules from modern hybrid AI that includes knowledge-based systems, deep learning, neural gas, PAC (possibly approximatively correct) learning, game theory, reinforcement learning, possibility theory and fuzzy logic.
By recommending a “maximum cautious speed” based on real-time data and context-specific to every single vehicle, driver and driving environment, Nexyad claims its approach goes much further than the European requirement for vehicles to be aware of the legal speed limit on each road segment (Intelligent Speed Assist).
Additionally, its safety coach SafetyNex acts as a co-pilot for the driver as it provides real-time guidance in order to anticipate possible emergency situations ahead that may lead to an accident. This proactive coaching activates while driving and has, the company states, been demonstrated to reduce accident rates by at least 25%.
Nexyad has started to integrate Here’s HD Live Map to provide OEMs with predictive automotive cruise control services whereby appropriate speeds are not only being recommended but automatically implemented. Moving forward, the company says connected vehicles will use SafetyNex to assess the level of caution of their own driving and will be able to adopt the appropriate speed even in unknown road conditions.
“We found that the maps from Here are accurate to the centimeter and constantly updated to the second. Every detail counts for us – the topography of the road, the exact positioning of the crossing, the location of a school. With our mission being to save lives, we cannot settle for anything less than the best,” remarked Gérard Yahiaoui, CEO of Nexyad.