How software is eating the car

Issue #111, Sept 25th, 2021

“Once, software was a part of the car. Now, software determines the value of a car,” said Manfred Broy, emeritus professor of informatics at Technical University, Munich and a leading expert on software in automobiles.* Honda is using neuroscience to compare the brains of good drivers against those who are accident prone. It is also deploying the Android OS in its cars. Radars are becoming popular to visualize the environment around a car for safe, autonomous driving. FedEx is piloting an autonomous fleet of trucks for its cargo delivery. Tesla will judge its drivers for safe driving after giving them the full-self driving feature, to decide whether to let a driver have it or roll it back. Below are some recent updates that corroborate what Prof. Broy said.

Honda's study of brain for driver-assist systems

Honda researchers want to know more about brain activity when driving. They have begun exploring deep inside the human brain in an effort to develop more powerful technologies to make driving safer. The automaker is using behavioural neuroscience to create a driver-assist system that makes driving vastly safer. The researchers are involved in a project to identify the cognitive tendencies and perceptions required for safe driving by comparing the brains of people who drive safely with those who are more accident-inclined. - Nikkei Asia

Autonomous trucks for cargo

Aurora Innovation Inc. will help move cargo for FedEx Corp. in a pilot project in Texas that uses the startup’s technology in a self-driving truck. The arrangement marks FedEx’s first trial of autonomous driving. The vehicles will carry several loads a week for FedEx between Dallas and Houston, with a safety driver behind the wheel and a co-pilot in the passenger seat. - Bloomberg

Android OS on cars

Volvo was the first to adopt Google's Android Automotive operating system in its cars. Honda has agreed with Google to start installing the Android operating system next year in major models offered around the world, allowing services such as navigation and music playing to be offered without the use of a smartphone. - Nikkei Asia

Radars for safe autonomous driving

One of the hottest new technologies for next-generation auto-safety systems and planned “autonomous” vehicles has roots going back a century. Yes, we’re talking about radar, the same technology that began as a curiosity in the early 20th century, helped Britain to repel the Luftwaffe in World War II, and has long enabled weather forecasting and allowed air-traffic controllers to keep our skies safe. Companies are improving and adapting the century-old technology to help vehicles operate more safely with less human involvement. - WSJ

Tesla judging its drivers for autonomous driving

Tesla chief Elon Musk announced that it will roll out an updated version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta software, which has been available only to around 2,000 people. This year in March he had said that Tesla revoked FSD beta from drivers that didn’t pay enough attention to the road. He also tweeted that the download button customers will request car owners’ permission for Tesla to assess their driving behavior for seven days. If the company deems the behavior good, it will grant access to FSD beta. - Bloomberg

Digital modelling of EV parts

Smaller parts makers to adopt digital modeling as EV competition heats up. In a bid to accelerate development and cut costs, 10 Japanese automakers and major parts suppliers said Friday they will standardize the way they design vehicles. Every part is rendered in digital form so that a virtual car can be created. Simulations let designers see which parts cause malfunctions or increase wind resistance.- Nikkei Asia

* - How Software Is Eating the Car, Robert N. Charette, 07 Jun, 2021, IEEE Spectrum