Emotional Experience Car shown at CES by BMW

Clearly a concept car, but could it take off?

BMW’s iVision Dee Brings Sci-fi to the Driveway This concept car’s e-paper skin turns a paint job into an exterior screen      By Lawrence Ulrich   in IEEE Spectrum

The body of BMW’s latest concept car, the iVision Dee, is like a big e-paper screen, allowing each pixel to assume one of 32 exterior colors. BMW

Before I met BMW’s iVision Dee at a press preview event in Germany—prior to a public reveal at CES in Las Vegas last week—I’d never seen a car blush, let alone had one make me blush. But then the electric BMW began changing colors and facial expressions, talking at me in intimate detail, splashing a digital avatar of my face on its side window, and filling its windshield with head-up display (HUD) projections worthy of Minority Report.

The “Dee” in this radical concept sedan stands for “Digital Emotional Experience.” That includes its eponymous, sultry-voiced virtual assistant. The body’s 240 laser-cut, Kindle-style “e-ink” panels let the BMW transform instantly to one of 32 exterior colors. Excited by low current—15 volts and less than 100 milliamperes—the panels’ microencapsulated particles create a moveable e-paper display. Feeling hot pink today? Go for it. And don’t worry about dinging the electric driving range: The chameleonic material uses nominal energy, and only while it’s shifting color to another shade.  ... '

Intel's Mobileye

 Advances in Autonomy by Intel

Intel's Mobileye sees $17 bln in assisted-driving product revenues by 2030

Reuters

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Intel Corp's (INTC.O) self-driving tech unit Mobileye Global Inc (MBLY.O) said on Thursday it sees more than $17 billion in revenues for its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) products by 2030.  Jerusalem, Israel-based Mobileye, which went public in October last year, is a top player in the ADAS market, which shares components with fully automated self-driving systems but costs much less.

The company said it will continue testing its autonomous vehicle technology in 2023.  A push to incorporate assisted-driving capabilities to bolster safety features in cars has led to greater adoption of self-driving technology, helping companies such as Mobileye.

The company, which Intel bought in 2017, counts BMW, Nissan, Volkswagen, among others as its customers. Mobileye added that it expects the volume of its latest SuperVision product-based vehicles to reach 1.2 million units in 2026, on the back of strong demand in China.   ... ;

BMW and Alexa

In car voice still commonly chosen?

Alexa Custom Assistant Will Power BMW’s Voice AI

ERIC HAL SCHWARTZ

BMW and Amazon revealed plans to build BMW’s next-generation voice assistant as an Alexa Custom Assistant platform. s annual Devices and Services launch event. A presentation at Amazon’s annual hardware event showcased how the collaboration will speed up the deployment while reducing costs for BMW, yet drivers will be able to interact with the BMW-branded assistant as though it were built in-house.

BMW ALEXA

“The Alexa technology will enable an even more natural dialogue between driver and vehicle, so drivers can stay focused on the road,” BMW senior vice president of development technical operations Stephan Durach said in announcing the new voice AI with Amazon devices and services business senior vice president Dave Limp. “This will bring the digital experience to an entirely new level.”

BMW didn’t explain how this will affect the recent extension of its long-term partnership with automotive voice AI developer Cerence. Cerence only recently shared its plans for a revamped version of its BMW voice assistant, set to arrive in the BMW 7 and i7 models this fall, The exact models for the Alexa-based assistant haven’t been announced yet. BMW and Amazon only said it would be in the next two years or so. The appeal of designing its voice AI as an Alexa Custom Assistant is not hard to see. It’s all of the customization benefits of independence but powered by all of Alexa’s Amazon support and regular updates. Plus, should BMW’s contributions fall short, the AI will turn to Alexa for help.

“Since we launched Alexa Custom Assistant last year, we’ve continued to improve the solution for automakers and developers. We’re particularly excited about some of the natural language and artificial intelligence advancements we’re delivering, including the capability to effortlessly build multilingual voice personas at scale and enabling uninterrupted voice interactions even when customers are in an area without connectivity,” Amazon smart vehicles vice president Anes Hodzic explained. “We’re also making it easier to create custom skills that are context-aware and proactive.”  ... ' 

European automobile industry is going quantum

Automobile Industry takes a number of leaps

The European automobile industry is going quantum  By Tristan Greene    in TheNextWeb

Spooky action at a distance goes vroom

September 19, 2022 - 7:40 pm

It’s a bold new world for automobile makers. After a century of development and fine-tuning, the combustion engine is going the way of the dodos as Europe shifts to clean energy.

But there’s more to the future of cars than just electric motors. The onset of fully autonomous vehicles may lie just beyond the technological horizon and the promise of a million-mile battery draws ever closer. In order to navigate the road to these technologies, European automakers are partnering with quantum computing companies at an increasing pace.

The European automobile industry has a long, rich history of technological innovation. From its onset with the Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau in 1898 to the masterpiece that is the 2023 McLaren Artura, Europe’s place at the cutting edge of the industry has never been questioned. With that in mind, let’s contemplate the future.

Greetings, humanoids

The next steps for the industry involve taking a quantum leap forward. Despite the fact that quantum computing and other quantum-based technologies are still in their infancy, there are myriad ways in which they can aid the automotive industry.

Right up front, the low hanging fruit is autonomous driving. Despite the early hype, researchers and automobile makers have yet to crack the self-driving car nut. For every step companies such as BMW, Tesla, and Waymo take forward, it seems like hundreds of edge cases pop up that the AI is unable to deal with.

We’re probably still a long way off from building a quantum computer that can fit into a car where, presumably, it would act as its brain. But quantum speedup — the ability for quantum processors to perform calculations and/or run algorithms that a classical system couldn’t do in a useful amount of time — could offer advances in several foundational areas for autonomous vehicle systems.

Scientists at Terra Quantum AG, recently partnered with Volkswagen to find novel methods for using hybrid quantum neural networks to improve image recognition. This particular experiment demonstrated the potential for quantum technologies to improve the quality assurance process drastically.

Essentially, the researchers used quantum-powered AI to increase the accuracy of its image detection abilities in order to improve the quality of the car manufacturing process. The techniques they’re working to develop could easily spill over into other industries, but they could also be used to give self-driving cars better “eyes” by increasing the speed and accuracy at which neural networks can process images.

Pasqal, a Paris-based quantum startup also partnered up with BMW in another quantum-based endeavor. Together with the German-owned automobile maker, the company hopes to find new, lighter, more durable materials to build cars out of. The team hopes to eventually reach the point where the design process is fast, accurate, and involves zero-prototyping in order to ensure a clean energy approach to every facet of the car-making process.

BMW and Volkswagen are early adopters out in front of the impending quantum computing hardware explosion, but you can be sure that every other major automobile maker also has a plan to get in on the action — experts predict the quantum technologies market will hit nearly $500B by 2030. And the shift towards autonomous vehicles (and away from ownership) will require an entirely different view on supply and logistics, something the quantum industry is heavily invested in improving.  ... ' 

Early Warning System for Cars

Learning from real-world case where Humans have taken over. 

AI Recognizes Potentially Critical traffic situations Seven Seconds in Advance

New early warning system for self-driving cars

A team of researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed a new early warning system for vehicles that uses artificial intelligence to learn from thousands of real traffic situations. A study of the system was carried out in cooperation with the BMW Group. The results show that, if used in today’s self-driving vehicles, it can warn seven seconds in advance against potentially critical situations that the cars cannot handle alone – with over 85% accuracy.

To make self-driving cars safe in the future, development efforts often rely on sophisticated models aimed at giving cars the ability to analyze the behavior of all traffic participants. But what happens if the models are not yet capable of handling some complex or unforeseen situations?

A team working with Prof. Eckehard Steinbach, who holds the Chair of Media Technology and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Munich School of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MSRM) at TUM, is taking a new approach. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), their system can learn from past situations where self-driving test vehicles were pushed to their limits in real-world road traffic. Those are situations where a human driver takes over – either because the car signals the need for intervention or because the driver decides to intervene for safety reasons.  ... " 

Quantum Software, Hardware Seeding the Market

 Good review of what quantum players and users are looking for in the market.  Despite the early days.

Quantum Computing Hardware, Software Players Seeding the Market   By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor  

While quantum computing is seen by most as futuristic, not quite out of the research lab, German automaker BMW is putting quantum computing into practice, one of the first real world uses of the technology.  

BMW is using a Honeywell quantum computer to find more efficient ways to purchase the many components that go into its vehicles, according to a recent account in cnet. 

Honeywell recently made its quantum computers available as a service, through the use of Honeywell Quantum Credits, representing the size of a quantum computational job run on the system. The number of HQCs required to run a given computation is determined by a formula that considers the number of single- and two-qubit gates, measurement operations, and shots (circuit repetitions), according to Honeywell.  

BMW seeks to determine which components should be purchased from which supplier and at what time, to ensure the lowest cost while maintaining production schedules. One supplier might be faster and another might have a lower price for a given component, for example. The machine will optimize the choices from a range of options and sub-options.  

Julius Marcea, a BMW Group IT chief

“We are excited to investigate the transformative potential of quantum computing on the automotive industry and are committed to extending the limits of engineering performance,” said Julius Marcea, a BMW Group IT chief, in a statement. 

BMW started evaluating quantum computing in 2018, according to Marcea, and the company has many ideas for its application. It could improve battery chemistry in electric vehicles, and calculate the best places to install charging stations, and address a range of requirements in design and manufacturing, from cost and safety to aerodynamics and durability.   .... " 

BMW Aims to Manufacture with Quantum

BMW looking at nimbler process control for manufacturing.  Embedded is a prediction for use within the next two years.

BMW Takes First Steps Into Quantum Computing Revolution

CNet, Stephen Shankland, January 27, 2021

BMW is using a Honeywell quantum computer to determine which vehicle components to purchase from which supplier at what time, in order to maintain its production schedules while holding down costs. The quantum computer optimizes the automaker’s choices from numerous options and suboptions. While this marks one of the first real-world uses of quantum computing, BMW's Julius Marcea noted, "Our experts anticipate that it will take some more years until real quantum computers can be used for commercial benefit." Honeywell's Tony Uttley said within the next two years, quantum computers will be able to solve optimization problems classical computers cannot handle. ....

BMW Takes Android Auto Forward

Continue to be a student of in-car use of assistants, here advances in Android Auto.  Have been using Echo Auto for some time.   Disappointed in its lack of advance into other mobile assistant uses.  What will be key next applications?

BMW's update with wireless Android Auto is rolling out
You may need to visit a dealership to get it.
Richard Lawler, @Rjcc  in Engadget

BMW Android Auto

At the end of last year BMW announced plans to add wireless Android Auto support on several of its vehicles, and according to Android Police, the update is now available. BMW announced it would arrive in July for vehicles using version 7.0 of its operating system, and while they weren’t able to snag it over-the-air, prompting the dealer for an update during a visit got the correct software installed.

One wrinkle to be aware of is that this support works only via wireless, so not every Android phone can make it happen (Google’s official list is made up mostly of Nexus, Pixel and Samsung devices). That said, they report it worked well with only a few hitches, which is similar to Autoblog’s experience with improved CarPlay support on this version of the software. For owners curious about how it will all work out, BMW has put together a demo video (below), and it should be more widely available soon.  .... " 

BMW Sees Car as Digital Platform

Interesting regards the breadth of integrated technology, but the reaction of consumers to 'microtransactions' or payment/subscription for many elemental features in already high cost luxury vehicles, may be very negative.   But it does depend on the value positioning of such premium capabilities.

BMW is going all-in on in-car microtransactions.  Like in-app purchases, but for your car
By Sean O'Kane@sokane1  Jul 2, 2020,  in TheVerge  ... "

And directly from BMW:

BMW Connected Car Beta Days 2020: July will bring a comprehensive software upgrade with numerous new services.  From BMWUsaNews

Justin  Berkowitz
Mariella  Kapsaskis

New services such as the cloud-based navigation BMW Maps, Digital Key for iPhone and an update for the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG:
“Digital technologies belong to the core of BMW – because hardware and software are of equal importance for premium cars. Our mission is to integrate advanced digital technologies with highest product excellence to enhance our customers’ experience and driving pleasure even more.”

1.     Overview.
In July 2020, BMW will release its most comprehensive vehicle software upgrade to date, with new and improved features for vehicle connectivity and navigation. These features will be included straight from the factory with every BMW vehicle that has Operating System 7, such as the new BMW 5 Series. And for certain compatible BMW vehicles built before July, already in customers’ hands, these great new updates can even be added with a free over-the-air software upgrade, available from third quarter onwards.

BMW Maps offers a completely new navigation experience: Faster, more intuitive, and more accurate. Destinations can be entered more easily. New cloud-based route calculation brings a significant improvement in performance. BMW Maps also provides contextual information for points of interest, such as ratings, business hours and images. Connected Parking also supports the search for parking spaces with additional services.
The BMW Digital Key, which has just been announced at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, turns an iPhone into a fully digital – and secure - vehicle key.
With the upgrade, BMW vehicles receive wireless support of Google’s Android AutoTM.
The BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant is getting a new design and has been enhanced with numerous intelligent functions. For example, the virtual character now turns towards the person talking and can distinguish between addressing the driver and the passenger.
Since 2018, the Remote Software Upgrade has enabled BMW drivers with compatible vehicles to keep their vehicle up to date with the latest software, just like with a smartphone. The new functions can be downloaded and installed over-the-air. This is particularly convenient and extremely fast: even for extensive upgrades, hardly more than 20 minutes of installation time is required.

2.    Digital personalization with functions on demand.

Flexible offers, available immediately, simple to book and easy to use.

BMW sees the car as a digital platform. More than two decades ago, BMW ConnectedDrive paved the way to more individual mobility. Since then, the company has been enabling its customers to benefit from the rapid technological development at any time with the continuously added digital services. With Remote Software Upgrade, BMW has created the technical basis for keeping vehicles up to date, adding additional vehicle functions, and installing them quickly and easily over the air.

BMW already offers its customers digital services and additional vehicle functions in the form of digital after-sales, some of which are deeply embedded in the vehicle's software. In the US, BMW Drive Recorder is offered through a pilot program. In the near future, additional functions will be added that can access the vehicle's existing hardware and software, such as certain comfort functions or driver assistance systems.  ... 

Predicting Emergence of Self Driving

Was interviewed about my opinion of when self-driving would become common in a recent study.  So now am following these predictions more closely.   Now major tech players are starting to make related announcements.   Autonomous mobility at hand?

In Engadget:

Mercedes and BMW cars will drive themselves on the autobahn by 2024.   The manufacturers agreed to work together on level 4 self driving systems.     By Steve Dent, @stevetdent

" .... BMW and Mercedes started working together on autonomous cars earlier this year, and now they have optimistic plans to deliver them. The automakers announced that they're developing Level 4 self-driving cars that can handle freeway driving chores without human intervention, though a driver will still need to be at the wheel. Such vehicles will include driver assist and automated parking systems and go on sale to the public by 2024. .... " 

Robots Predict Human Movement

Relatively simple but useful idea.   Imagine too its premise being used to predict the interaction of people and drones in a swarm performing tasks?  Or determining nearby resources?

Algorithm tells robots where nearby humans are headed
A new tool for predicting a person’s movement trajectory may help humans and robots work together in close proximity.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News Office 

In 2018, researchers at MIT and the auto manufacturer BMW were testing ways in which humans and robots might work in close proximity to assemble car parts. In a replica of a factory floor setting, the team rigged up a robot on rails, designed to deliver parts between work stations. Meanwhile, human workers crossed its path every so often to work at nearby stations. 

The robot was programmed to stop momentarily if a person passed by. But the researchers noticed that the robot would often freeze in place, overly cautious, long before a person had crossed its path. If this took place in a real manufacturing setting, such unnecessary pauses could accumulate into significant inefficiencies.

The team traced the problem to a limitation in the robot’s trajectory alignment algorithms used by the robot’s motion predicting software. While they could reasonably predict where a person was headed, due to the poor time alignment the algorithms couldn’t anticipate how long that person spent at any point along their predicted path — and in this case, how long it would take for a person to stop, then double back and cross the robot’s path again. .... " 

BMW and Microsoft Team for Open Manufacturing, Smart Factories

An interesting combination of tech for manufacturing.

Microsoft teams up with BMW for the IoT-focused Open Manufacturing Platform  By Ingrid Lunden   @ingridlunden   in TechCrunch

Car companies are making big investments in technology to help ensure that they are not cut out of the next generation of transportation and automotive manufacturing, and today came the latest development in that trend.

The BMW Group and Microsoft announced they would team up in a new effort called the Open Manufacturing Platform, aimed at developing and encouraging more collaborative IoT development in the manufacturing sector, focusing on smart factory solutions and building standards to develop them in areas like machine connectivity and on-premises systems integration. .... " 


Microsoft and BMW launch smart factory initiative    By Mike Wheatley in SiliconAngle

Microsoft Corp. is teaming up with BMW AG on an initiative designed to help manufacturers build so-called “smart factories” that leverage “internet of things” and cloud computing technologies.

The Open Manufacturing Platform is an “open technology framework” targeted at companies in the automotive sector and other industries that can benefit from more connected manufacturing systems, the companies said. The idea is to provide a reference architecture for smart factories based on open source components and an open data model, built atop of Microsoft Azure’s industrial IoT platform.

“Utilizing industrial use cases and sample code, community members and other partners will have the capability to develop their own services and solutions while maintaining control over their data,” Microsoft officials said. ..."

BMW Wants Natural Conversations with your Car

 As I read it this will not be built on existing assistant technologies.   Which I recall BMW has supported.  See for example an integration with with Alexa.   I would think it would be important to integrate with the Smart Home as well. Will it?    Looking further.


BMW wants to make interacting with a car as natural as talking to a friend  By Ronan Glon

BMW predicts poking a screen to get directions will soon become as outdated as a flip phone. The German automaker traveled to MWC2019 to demonstrate its new, artificial intelligence-powered Natural Interaction technology, which empowers drivers with three onboard means of communications that make interacting with a car as straightforward as talking to a friend.

Natural Interaction builds on technologies such as voice commands and gesture recognition that are already available in select series-produced BMW models, like the 7 Series, and it adds a forward-looking feature (pun intended) called gaze recognition that tracks the driver’s eyes. Drivers don’t need to tell the car how they want to communicate; the software automatically detects instructions, and executes them immediately. Someone driving alone can say “I’m cold” to turn the heater up. If four passengers are having a conversation, or if the radio is on full blast, the driver will likely prefer to turn the heat up with a hand gesture.

BMW noted Natural Interaction lets the passengers perform a variety of functions including opening or closing the windows and the sunroof, adjusting the air vents, or selecting an icon on the screen that displays the infotainment system. They can also point to a button and ask the car what it does. Artificial intelligence helps the car learn each user’s habits. This technology promises to make driving more convenient, and it paves the way for the lounge-like interiors that designers often create for autonomous concept cars.

“People shouldn’t have to think about which operating strategy to use to get what they want. They should always be able to decide freely — and the car should still understand them. BMW Natural Interaction is also an important step for the future of autonomous vehicles, when interior concepts will no longer be geared solely toward the driver’s position and occupants will have more freedom,” said Christoph Grote, the senior vice president of BMW Group Electronics.  .... "

BMW Blockchain Pilot

BMW Leasing Arm Supports Blockhain Pilot

BMW invited DOVU to participate in its innovation lab, which seeks new and disruptive ideas. The 10-week pilot began Jan.15 at the London BMW headquarters.

Three executives from Alphabet, BMW’s leasing and fleet vehicle arm, served as sponsors for DOVU: Nick Brownrigg, chief executive officer, Simon Carr, chief commercial officer, and Leo Taylor, head of product management.

Leasing and finance comprise a large portion of BMW’s profits. Every vehicle that returns over its mileage allowance or is damaged undermines its resale value. ... " 

New on IFTTT This Month

A number of new channels on IFTTT this month. For those that might want to sculpt out the operation of their smart home (or even smart office).   Including from Daikin AC controllers and GE Clothes Dryers.   See their many LG channels.   Even their BMW Labs Channel. And much more.   Hundreds overall.   See their recipes for the home.  And also follow their blog.    Surprised that more has not been done with this.  Is that because people can't rely on the channels being maintained?

So what is IFTTT?

IFTTT gives you creative control over the products and apps you love.

What are Recipes?

Recipes are simple connections between products and apps. There are two types of Recipes: DO Recipes and IF Recipes.

DO Recipes
DO Recipes run with just a tap and enable you to create your own personalized Button, Camera, and Notepad. The DO apps are available for iOS and Android.

IF Recipes
IF Recipes run automatically in the background. Create powerful connections with one simple statement — if this then that.

More here.

BMW Pushes Gesture Control

Always had my doubts about gestures control in cars, but BMW is pushing it:

In TheVerge:
Last CES, BMW teased the future of its human-machine interface with a gesture control demo — a capability that debuted later in 2015 on the new 7 Series. Once again, BMW will be showing a new form of system control at CES 2016 next week: AirTouch, they're calling it, which sounds like a much more advanced version of last year's gesture control system.

The system that's currently in the 7 Series is limited to just a small handful of basic controls — volume, for instance — but AirTouch "allows the display in a vehicle to be operated like a touchscreen without actually having to make contact with the surface" using an array of sensors in the interior. Basically, it sounds like you can use your outstretched hand like a mouse on the car's oversized display. Once you're focused on the on-screen item you want to select, the driver can use a button on the steering wheel to make the selection, and the passenger can do the same with a button on the door.  ... " 

Your Ketchup is Messaging You

In Adage: Your Ketchup Is Sending You A Facebook Message   .....   Heinz and BMW are experimenting with a new platform built with messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger in mind. ... " .    New realms of interactions in daily life?

A Car with Gesture Control

In Wired: Until we take the big step to autonomous driving,   You do wonder where all the user interface technology will go.  Here a high end BMW adds gesture control to voice.  Still not used to generally flapping my hands for interaction.  Its the opposite of hands free.

Stylish BMW AR Goggles for in Car

In Engadget: Augmented Reality designed for driving a specific car?  Still a BMW concept design with no delivery time suggested.  I do wonder about its distraction. Better than adding  the usualcameras and warnings in a dashboard screen?  The reviewer like it.

" .... Augmented reality is supposed to be the future, but its current usefulness is pretty fuzzy. Sony's SmartEyeglass is reminiscent of your old monochrome monitors, Microsoft's HoloLens' games look intriguing, but who knows when that's coming out and Google Glass, well, we're not sure what the future holds for Glass. BMW's vision of augmented reality is still a ways off as well, but it's recently partnered with Qualcomm to announce something rather unexpected: a pair of AR glasses meant specifically for, of all things, driving a Mini. It looks and sounds ridiculous. But the thing is: It's actually pretty damn impressive. .... " 

Goal: Cognitive Assistants for all Jobs

Via Jim Spohrer, how can you join into the task?  I have joined in.

Cognitive Systems Institute Group (CSIG)'s mission is cognitive assistants for all occupations:
What is CSIG?   

Getting started developing cognitive assistants on IBM Bluemix:
http://service-science.info/archives/3721

Watson Services on Bluemix - including AlchemyAPI acquisition
http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/ibmwatson/developercloud/services-catalog.html

Read a lot and take the survey if you are planning a grant proposal:
http://cognitive-science.info/

Read more and see what the community is talking about:

Some award winners working on cognitive:
http://cognitive-science.info/award-recipients/

Weekly calls and speaker series:

IBM's Cognitive Systems Institute Group (CSIG) service-science.info
As background on IBM's broader interests and to summarize IBM's Cognitive Systems Institute Group (CSIG): (1) over the next decade cognitive assistants will begin appearing for all occupations, job...  "