Continental in agreement with IIT-M to develop AI for automotive safety

CHENNAI: Continental AG, a German manufacturer specialising in automotive electronics and safety, said it will collaborate with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras to research and apply machine learning in automotive mobility solutions that are better suited for use in cars made to ply on Indian roads, and for the international market.

The entities have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together in project NeuroMotive, which would assist in partially automated driving, pedestrian identification and application of artificial intelligence in the automotive safety space. “We supply automotive technology to companies like Mahindra, Toyota and Mercedes Sport. So we have a large commitment to India, which has been seeing rapid growth in the consumption of automobiles,” said Alexander Klotz, Head of Technical Center India (TCI), Continental’s inhouse R&D unit, in a press briefing on Friday. Car and SUV sales in India last year rose the fastest since 2013 and crossed the three-million mark for the first time ever.

The adaptive cruise control system, which enables vehicles to automatically adjust their speed to maintain a safe distance from other vehicles, may be a technology that is suited well for German roads. But Indian road conditions are different and require cars to have the advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS), he said. “It is now a legal mandate to adopt ADAS in India,” Klotz added. Through the collaboration with IIT, Madras, the company plans to develop mobility technology in cars that would be based on spatial navigation in an animal’s brain for the global market.

“IIT Madras’ expertise in bioinspired neural networks can help expand the scope of what assisted driving functions can accomplish. Bio-inspired neural networks are becoming increasingly important for industries and businesses,” said Ravindra Gettu, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT Madras. “These systems assist the driver in everyday situations, and, are available in dangerous situations, when they warn the driver and even intervene in driving when necessary. We need failsafe architecture that, in the event of a potential malfunction, keeps the vehicle in a safe operating state,” said Praveen Kumar, Head of Engineering, Business Unit ADAS (India) Continental Automotive.