Navigation trends at CES – News from some of our NDS members
25. January 2024
When you think of the CES in Las Vegas, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe new headphones, televisions, gaming, or drones? But CES is much more than smart gadgets. It is the meeting place for innovation in a wide variety of areas, was visited by over 135,000 people this January and had more than 4,300 exhibitors. Not to forget the creative minds, developers and trendsetters in navigation: The members of the NDS Association were also in attendance and had plenty of news for those interested in automotive trends. Unfortunately, we cannot go into every piece of news from our many members here. That’s why we have put together some highlights for you. In the field of navigation, everything revolves around HD maps and the hyped topic of artificial intelligence.
Many NDS members exhibited at CES in Las Vegas in mid-January and brought exciting innovations with them. Source: CES
Here and Bosch make PPC in the Mercedes Actros even more efficient. The predictive cruise control PPC from Daimler Truck uses Here ADAS Map with high-precision information. The UniMap also incorporates vehicle sensors and other data sources and reduces fuel consumption. The system is a predictive cruise control and transmission control system for commercial vehicles. Equipped with the Here ADAS Map and Bosch Electronic Horizon software, the system considers road topography, bends, gradients, junctions, traffic signs, speed limits (including specific rules for trucks) and traffic regulations.
Additionally, German car manufacturers BMW, Audi and Mercedes want to use HD maps from Here in the future to drive autonomously and replace Google Maps. High-resolution road maps are a key component in robot car development. At CES Here announced a range of software solutions providing automakers with direct access to fresh map information tailored for Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The solutions feature a streaming API designed to reveal the map content, allowing vehicles to access and collect information. This enables flexible over the air (OTA) delivery of fresh, use case specific maps for ISA and ADAS applications directly to the vehicle without the involvement of a third party.
Moreover, ride-hailing giant Uber and location data platform Here Technologies have announced a new partnership at CES. The Here platform offers Uber the ability to customize the app offering, improving the customer experience with better precision and fresh maps data.
TomTom and Mitsubishi Electric announced their collaboration to develop new solutions and drive innovation in Automated Driving. Through this collaboration, TomTom’s High Definition (HD) Map will power Mitsubishi Electric’s High-Definition Locator hardware, providing the highly accurate data required for automated driving. TomTom leverages a multi-sourcing strategy for its HD Map, including data from GPS probes, front facing cameras, and vehicle sensors, to allow automated driving systems to anticipate the road ahead. Already being used in millions of vehicles on the road for Levels 1 to 2-Plus autonomous driving, TomTom’s HD Map technology is consistently updated, providing a highly detailed representation of the road and allowing self-driving vehicles to pinpoint the location of all road elements, including lane centrelines, traffic signs, and other objects, to make sense of their surroundings.
Furthermore, TomTom announced a milestone in the roll-out of its new TomTom Orbis Maps. The maps now feature unprecedented coverage, including an industry-leading 86 million kilometers of transportation networks. Combining the best of open and proprietary data sources and adding advanced visualization, TomTom’s mapmaking platform delivers richer, fresher, and more visually attractive map content. Drawing on the power of AI and machine learning, TomTom Orbis Maps taps into the richness of OpenStreetMap (OSM). The company’s mapmaking platform integrates this source with many other public sources and proprietary data to create a map that can power the most advanced use cases ranging from on-demand services to automated driving.
HARMAN introduced HARMAN Ignite Store Payments at CES 2024, the first payment product presented to the HARMAN Ignite Store, along with an expanded ecosystem of HARMAN Ignite Store partners across diverse sectors. HARMAN Ignite Store products and partnerships provide comprehensive in-vehicle experiences for both OEMs and consumers. The ChargePoint app offers a seamless charging experience while on the road through the HARMAN Ignite Store. Users can find charging stations in the ChargePoint network, start a charging session, and pay, adding convenience to EV ownership. Furthermore, Novo, a new driver safety app from connected car software provider Telenav is now available through the HARMAN Ignite Store. Novo monitors driving habits and encourages safe driving via safety alerts, challenges, and rewards.
At CES 2024 Volkswagen presented the first vehicles in which the AI based chatbot “ChatGPT” is integrated into the IDA voice assistant. In future, customers in all Volkswagen models equipped with IDA will be able to seamlessly access the constantly growing AI database and have researched content read out to them while driving and interact with the car in natural language. The IDA voice assistant can be used to control infotainment, navigation, and air conditioning, for example, or to answer general knowledge questions.
At the Mercedes-Benz stand, the Stuttgart-based company showcased its new highlight: the integrated MBUX Virtual Assistant, which uses new software and generative AI to create a more natural and intuitive relationship with the vehicle. The aim is to pave the way for a hyper-personalized customer experience. Integrated visual communication reaches a new dimension with MBUX Surround Navigation. Thanks to the deeply integrated area architecture of MB.OS, the advanced navigation shows a real view of the vehicle and its surroundings. Drivers benefit from improved situational awareness. The seamless integration of information with 3D graphics from the Unity Game Engine into the instrument display provides an extremely intuitive overview. The system superimposes the route guidance onto a realistic representation of the surroundings. This is particularly helpful in busy urban traffic areas.
Digital experiences in vehicles today and in the future: This was the main theme of the BMW Group’s presence at CES 2024. New infotainment products for the current BMW model portfolio were on display and visitors were able to experience new skills of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant powered by generative AI.The BMW Group and Valeo also demonstrated the first results of their joint development of next-generation automated Level 4 parking solutions. This also includes the development of solutions for automated valet parking (AVP) involving the customer leaving the vehicle at a defined drop-off point. From here, the vehicle independently searches for a parking space, performs the necessary maneuvers to park and retrieve the vehicle and can also drive back to the pick-up point to hand it back to the driver. The underlying technology can be either an autonomous driving system or a remote-controlled valet system.
About NDS Association
The NDS Association members are car manufacturers, application and compiler developers, as well as map and service providers. Our members benefit from various testing, validation, and certification tools. But it’s not only the software that we offer – read more about NDS Tooling here.
