Porsche to install Israeli autonomous technology into future vehicles
The Haifa-based Israeli startup secured $9 million in funding last October, with Porsche and Union Tech Ventures being the major investors in the round.
By ZACHARY KEYSERPorsche introduces its new Taycan 4S at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 20, 2019(photo credit: REUTERS)Porsche, the luxury branch of German car manufacturer Volkswagen, will be implementing artificial intelligence technology developed by Haifa-based startup Tactile Mobility into their future vehicle models, the companies announced on Monday at the EcoMotion 2020 virtual summit.The Israeli autotech startup specializes in technology that can be incorporated in autonomous vehicles. Where most autonomous driving technology relies heavily on visual-based systems, the company incorporates tactile sensors into their product which allows the car to not "only to see the road but also feel it.""By augmenting visual sensing with the missing vehicle-road tactility, actionable insights are fed back to onboard computers to optimize driving decisions in real-time," according to Tactile Mobility's website. "Data is also anonymized and uploaded to the cloud for big-data analysis, generating a constantly updated crowd-sourced mapping of global road conditions for accurate monitoring."The technology can also be used in advanced driver assistance systems and even perform vehicle diagnostics, measuring components such as the engine, brakes and wheels, then compiling that data into real-time insights that map out road quality, tire grip and wheel speed, among other options."Tactile Mobility is a software and data company that grants smart autonomous vehicles with the ability to feel the road," explained Amit Nisenbaum, CEO of Tactile Mobility, according to CTech. "We are very proud to announce that we will embed our software in Porsche vehicles in order to make them smarter, more enjoyable to drive, and safer to drive."The Haifa-based Israeli startup secured $9 million in funding last October, with Porsche and Union Tech Ventures being the major investors in the round.Porsche has invested heavily in Israeli autonomous driving technology within the past year.In January, Porsche partnered up with Israeli tech startup TriEye to further revolutionize the start-ups Short-Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) sensing technology, with the hopes of advancing the performance of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles developed by the tech start-up.The SWIR sensing technology developed by TriEye was manufactured to enhance visibility in unfavorable weather and nighttime conditions. The technology itself is mainly used and developed to guide autonomous vehicles through low-visibility situations that would ordinarily disrupt independent systems from working properly.When visibility is limited during travel, normal combinations of radar, LIDAR and standard cameras are unable to accurately detect and identify objects on the road. TriEye incorporated SWIR sensing technology into its systems to combat this issue.
Autonomous systems themselves are expected to operate under a multitude of scenarios. In light of the emergence of these new technologies, major car manufacturers around the world have started to merge advanced sensing solutions into their mass-production repertoire - financially backing suitable tech companies around the world to solve these complicated engineering equations head on."Porsche is known worldwide for its famous sports cars and products, but as all automotive manufacturers in recent times Porsche is continuing to look forward to improving its product and offer new products and innovate in new ways, including investigating the development of autonomous driving technology," said Manuel Höll, General Manager Chassis SW-Development Porsche, according to CTech.
