Thanks UDWG,
Now seriously, if you thought I was impressed. Go read the T3 review!
"I review dash cams for a living and even I'm excited about the 'smart' Nextbase iQ
It's the world’s first fully-connected smart dash cam, with next-generation safety, security, and AI-driver assistance"
Remember, we didn't pay to develop the Ambarella chip. They spent probably $10million for this. Ambarella are expecting serious volume to make a return. Next base will not be the only dash cam I expect that this will be the core of our next Guardian device. We won't just be looking at 10k lorries per year. This will drop in price and be in vans and other commercial vehicles. Possibly even at the point of manufacture. So there will be significant volume in this channel to market
Never mind the doorbells for now. It looks like we have found another leg for the stool. Dash Cams are normally pretty stupid, but what about adding intelligence? Now I hadn't heard of Nextbase before, but they announced their iQ dash cam at CES 2022. It goes on sale in the UK in the autumn. It looks like it has Ambarella chips with Seeing Machines Occula on board
So what is special?
3 cameras (in 2 units) the forward module has 5mp forward facing and it tracks vehicles and their speeds to detect possible collisions. It has a driver facing camera for DMS which detects drowsiness and distraction (that is where we come in). Now since the unit contains both cameras it s hi ould be able to check that the driver is looking and aware of the risks to reduce alerts.
So perhaps we don't all need to buy a new top of the range vehicle to get the full Seeing Machines safety experience.
So what else? Well this British company has 80% of the UK market and already has 20% of the US market. Not impressed? Well for me the clincher is that they were the first to tie-up with AXA for insurance discounts.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/robertbloomquist73_dashcams-ces2022-nextbaseiq-activity-6893344988277932032-xTNo
So apart from US based Electric car company (likely Rivian) these are Chinese wins as expected. I hope they get the volume to cover the costs with the inevitable lower price per unit.
As Colin says, they are doing well and may not be a listed company for long.
If someone takes these off the table, it surely will start our bidding war, or at least a significant re-rate.
Ok. You have seen me skim through a bunch of patents, some with a great deal of though behind them, others like Toyota and Kyoceta - a broad land grab attempt. Well this is the real deal - it tries to document everything about real work by a real system, that can actually work. It is one that is actually worth at least looking at the pictures of to see how the system is built.
Some things of note - a multi-core processor and FOUR GPU units are required to run this system, and a Neuromorphic processor and a Deep learning processor etc, etc. Did I mention 50 pages of diagrams!!
So what are they claiming - remember it is only the claims that matter - observing gaze, listening to spoken instructions and acting on the gaze and instructions to do something with a car component.
it is all machine learning from cameras, no mention of glints or bright/dark eyes.
It can use special fiduciary markers (special codes or anchor points) in the image for calibration. It is based on a priority claim for 2019. So like Kyoceta, too late to stop our earlier patents.
You can see how this may be more of an issue to OEMs or Tier 1s if this was granted. But not to those with existing gaze or speech patents
JC well done for spotting this sneaky move by a "photocopier"
Ok first off, this is machine learning to work out what humans look at then using eye gaze to see if we are as good as their model. If not we must be asleep. So I am not too worried about the practicality as there isn't much detail in their claims (and that is all that counts)
Second, thing - too late. The priority document is 2020. so no risk for Seeing Machines who have earlier claims
Thanks JC, you are keeping me busy.
No direct mentions of Seeing Machines, but good to see that "vehicular control system estimates the driver takeover time for the driver to take over control of the vehicle based at least in part monitoring of driver attentiveness via an in-cabin sensor" is mentioned.
This patent is the latest in a string that go back to 2016. Amusingly, Telsa Model S and Daimler E-Class get mentioned as examples of SAE Level 3 vehicles. Mercedes, were challenged and removed all mentions of Autonomy and toned down their language about the E-Class system.
Elon, well we know what happens there - he implies it as SAE Level 4, then when challenged by authorities, pretends it is only SAE Level 2 so doesn't need to conform to the rules
We know that Qualcomm are already focussed on mobile phones and now cars. Well this is the perfect opportunity for your new phone to add the soon to be must have V2X communications in your legacy (no not just old Subarus). It wasn't entirely clear how this would be communicated, I hope it is via Bluetooth to the vehicle entertainment system, not communicated via the teenager in the back
No rocket science here, just a land grab for insurance.
Among the claims here are for a camera in a "facility" recording passing drivers state; another where the camera in one vehicle observing the following driver for tailgating. Would be polite to have a bumper sticker saying "don't tailgate in case your insurer is watching"
For I minute there Maps, I thought you meant Martin, but he is all spent up from buying his distractions
https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/iihs-creates-safeguard-ratings-for-partial-automation
The IIHS is the equivalent of Thatcham in the US. Insurance backed, they set their own safety requirements, then test and rank cars. This is GREAT NEWS.
===
IIHS creates safeguard ratings for partial automation
Vehicles with partial automation need to have safeguards in place to help drivers stay focused on the road. IIHS is developing a ratings program to evaluate attention reminders and other measures.
January 20, 2022
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is developing a new ratings program that evaluates the safeguards that vehicles with partial automation employ to help drivers stay focused on the road.
The safeguards will be rated good, acceptable, marginal or poor. To earn a good rating, systems will need to ensure that the driver’s eyes are directed at the road and their hands are either on the wheel or ready to grab it at all times. Escalating alerts and appropriate emergency procedures when the driver does not meet those conditions will also be required.
IIHS expects to issue the first set of ratings in 2022. The precise timing is uncertain because ongoing supply chain woes in the auto industry have made it more difficult to obtain vehicles for testing.
“Partial automation systems may make long drives seem like less of a burden, but there is no evidence that they make driving safer,” says IIHS President David Harkey. “In fact, the opposite may be the case if systems lack adequate safeguards.”
The need for driver monitoring and attention reminders has become apparent to many safety advocates. Consumer Reports has announced it will begin awarding points for partially automated driving systems, but only if they have adequate driver monitoring systems, and will factor in IIHS safeguard ratings once they are available.
Despite misleading messaging from some manufacturers, for now, at least, self-driving cars are not available to consumers. What many vehicles on the market do have is partial automation. The human driver must still handle many routine driving tasks that the systems aren’t designed to do. The driver also has to monitor how well the automation is performing its tasks and always be ready to take over if anything goes wrong. While most partial automation systems have some safeguards in place to help ensure drivers are focused and ready, none of them meets all the pending IIHS criteria.
Today’s partial automation systems — which are marketed under various names, such as Autopilot, Pilot Assist and Super Cruise — use cameras, radar or other sensors to “see” the road. The ones currently on the market combine adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lane centering with various other driver assistance features. ACC maintains a driver-selected speed but will automatically slow to keep a set following distance from a slower moving vehicle ahead and then accelerate when the way...
Oh, one last thing Maps, Google translate will work better at Inderes, if the source language is set to Finnish!
Maps, a few of us went on an exchange visit to Inderes over a year ago. It was an interesting experience. We have a few converts here and on Telegram.
One thing I did learn was that people with a cow in a ditch are very pursuasive. I have also noticed that many of their key posters reduced their holdings or vanished during 2021
Ok, blinkers off, zoom out.
It is everyone who is suffering not just us, stop moping and start mopping up the cheap shares if you can.
Remember:
We won VW
We won Ford
We won GM
We will win Volvo next time if not this time
We won Stelantis
We won BMW
We won Mercedes
We won Fisker
Magna think we are worth a punt and has bought $10m shares
Qualcomm think we are good enough to tie up with and name on their slides
OmniVision worked for a year to build an image processing chip with our IP on board
OmniVision build a 5MP chip that can ONLY go to mass market with us because the competitors can't handle that much data (or NVidia is too expensive for mass market cars)
Amberella have build a chip with us
Who knows what is happening behind the scenes at TI and Renesas, but we have been linked with them
CAE and L3 are happy to put us in simulators
Collins are happy to start the process to get us into aircraft
USAF issue and close a request for information for adding features to the simulators in one day and the Seeing Machines have applied to increase the security scrutiny of its staff. I would almost think that was linked - remember how many simulators the USAF currently have.
We have 8 billon kilometers of good data for training and now we have Shell who will be using it and pushing it onto their subcontractors
Now, remind me again why were you considering selling shares???
A big thank you to JC for his sterling efforts in trawling through all the new patent applications.
At the other end of a long tortuous and expensive process is the goal - a patent granting protection to your Intellectual Property. This week in the US, Seeing Machines were granted a patent for
PHONE DOCKING STATION FOR ENHANCED DRIVING SAFETY
Now this patent is based on an Australian patent application from 2015!
Now I don't see SEE rushing to market with their own device, but it is very timely as about now we are starting to see aftermarket solutions starting to appear for DMS. Soon the great unwashed will hear about DMS and consider buying one for their DMS less car. Just like SatNav or Bluetooth adapters we're all the rage for a while. So we can now stop devices coming to market unless they pay us for the privilege of not getting sued.
What is even more enticing is the thought that we may even get handed wodges of cash to let someone else do all the hard work of now bringing a product or even a range of products to market.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=14&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=20180125&CC=US&NR=2018026669A1&KC=A1
So are we worried? Google muscling into our area on a patent that looks entirely reasonable...
Well do the claims explain that they are throwing in every option except for the kitchen sink, corneal reflections (bright eyes), off axis illumination (dark eyes), glints or any expertise in human eyes. Yes, this is a silicon Valley solution - machine learning can do anything. Luckily, we have a thing called "prior art'. You can't patent what we are already doing publicly and their lack of knowledge in the field shows more the skill of patent lawyer and the optimism of the SV companies. I will still sleep well tonight
Why would a chip manufacturer mention Seeing Machines when launching a new camera chip?
Come on think it through.
A 5 mega pixel chip, that has RGB (visible colour) and 940nm Infrared and a global shutter?
Need some more hints?
Who did their homework last week?
https://ojoyoshidareport.com/dms-the-experts-view/
Did that help?
Processing images on affordable SoC is hard. Processing on expensive NVidia is easier but unless you are efficient you take too much of the expensive resource.
Now remember last year, Our friends at Omnivision launched a chip using Smart Eye that was paired with a 2.1 mega pixel camera. That may be the device that supports their not quite launched AIS aftermarket DMS system.
Have you worked it out yet?
The 5 Mega Pixel camera produces too much data for any of our competitors chips to operate at a reasonable frame rate without dropping frames (stalling). The exception here is NVidia, but that is too expensive for mainstream automotive where expense is trimmed to the bone.
So if OmniVision want to sell a global shutter (ie DMS/OMS camera that is no use for external facing use) in the mass market, then it will be feeding a Seeing Machines DMS/OMS system. - and why not associate yourself with the best
When I first started investing in SEE I scanned through many old posts, but certain posts stood out for their intelligence, directness and certainty that Seeing Machines would be the right choice (eventually). I respected Red's opinions and convictions.
I missed out on meeting Roy in the flesh, but I enjoyed many late night chats with him. Roy went on holiday and didn't reappear afterwards. I tracked down Elena to ask if all was well, hoping to hear of a broken phone. It was terrible news and she was not in a good place. But I am glad that we could help her and that she learned how much our friend Roy was known and respected and we had our chances to say goodbye to our brother Redindi
Here is Veoneer showing that it is us in the Grand Cherokee
https://vp283.alertir.com/sites/default/files/report/q2_2021_financial_results_slides_july23.pdf
I don't like "SEMI-AUTONOMOUS" it is an oximoron like semi-pregnant. But that is how Jeep are selling us.
https://www.jeep.com/new-grand-cherokee.html
Experience a new way to drive with the Jeep® Brand. Two cutting-edge available systems, Active Driving Assist
( Disclosure11)
and Hands-Free Active Driving Assist (late availability coming summer 2022)
( Disclosure12)
, are designed to help give drivers an advanced experience on the road.
===
If you have a look at the 360 view of the Summit and Summit Reserve you will see a familiar hump in the steering wheel column.
I couldn't grab the text on my phone. 12 tells you that the driver must be alert etc