MAY 2023 AFTERMARKET 23 www.aftermarketonline.net Next gen self-driving tech: Oxford RF’s solidstate 360-degree radar Oxford RF has developed what it says is a world first – a solidstate 360-degree radar, as company founder Dr Kashif Siddiq explained: “The problem we see is people taking off-the-shelf sensors and bolting them to vehicles to try and make them autonomous. What we need is sensors designed specifically for autonomous vehicles. That was the idea behind Oxford RF: “We’ve already taken it to the next level by making it hemispherical, so it can see upwards in a dome as well as allround. There are no moving parts and we have the capability to integrate multiple technologies within the same box. “Now we have a working prototype and are really leading the thought process when it comes to perception sensing. The current situation with ADAS is a mix of cameras, radars and lidars being used to effectively give a 360-degree picture. There’s a problem with this, first of all, the price. Each sensor is expensive and there's so many of them. Then all that data needs to be routed to a centralised computer, and that causes latency. Milliseconds are valuable when it comes to saving lives. Another issue is redundancy: what’s the backup if one sensor fails? All too often the answer is another sensor, which means yet more cost. And you start to run into the mutual interference problem. “We’ve reengineered sensors; Initially we installed them on the car roof, but we’re moving them to the four corners, inside the bumpers. From a safety critical point of view, this comes with redundancy built-in, because if one of the 360-degree sensors fail, two others are still looking at the same point. Delivering visibility in all conditions has to be seen as a deep tech problem and solved on a scientific basis. Are we able to reduce the mortality rate? That’s the real acid test.” www.aftermarketonline.net Last year’s Zenzic Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Innovators event will forever be remembered as our first post-Covid industry do. 12 months on, CAM Innovators 2023 was a superior sequel – better attended and more vibrant. The venue was the same, the impressive Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on The Embankment, but breakfast was dominated by tales of the tube strike, so 200+ self-driving enthusiasts battled through London gridlock to discuss clean, convenient mobility. Fortunately, the packed agenda made it more than worthwhile. After a welcome by Zenzic’s Frances Williamson and Mark Cracknell came a keynote speech by Paul Newman of Oxbotica, recently appointed UK Automotive Council CAM Champion. He emphasised that autonomy is a system rather than a technology. “It must be delivered where it is needed most, not just in London and the Oxbridge area,” he said. Mili Naik of Zenzic then provided a sneak preview of the newly updated UK CAM Roadmap to 2035. Notably, it predicts self-driving on the road in the UK by 2025, with a priority to build public confidence. The first panel of the day, ‘What a truly connected and automated mobile future looks like’, highlighted key benefits including enhanced mobility solutions for all, the oft-quoted 90%+ reduction in road accidents and, interestingly, a 70% energy saving. Zenzic’s Bhavin Makwana then looked at “opportunities for the UK to compete on a global stage”, with particlar strengths in intellectual property, cybersecurity and insurance. There was broad agreement that the UK needs to do more to establish itself as a global leader, with a lack of recognition in America especially. The afternoon session began with elevator pitches by the seven companies currently receiving support via the Zenzic CAM Scale-Up Programme – Axitech, Calyo, Dromos, Eloy, Gaist, Oxford RF and PolyChord. What a whirlwind of innovatio Michael Talbot, Deputy Head of the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, then introduced us to “The world’s most comprehensive mix of self-driving projects” – the winners of its recent Commercialising CAM competition. Amidst the plethora of ambitious plans, Project Harlander in Belfast has perhaps the greatest scope. It covers the vast port area, which has its own bylaws and therefore isn’t reliant on new UK legislation. Questions from the audience included Thatcham asking about OEM considerations – the only time all day anyone mentioned conventional passenger cars. The final panel of the day featured Mark Preston of Streetdrone. He explained how HGV drivers giving advice on reversing had been recruited to develop the AI, becoming leading advocates for self-driving. Modern problems en route to brighter mobility future
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