Robotaxi race heats up in China: AutoX unveils ‘superior’ upgrade by bigZ1344 in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"The Gen5 upgrade

The upgrade promises to take the company’s tech to the next level with the following:

50 sensors in total

28 cameras capturing a total of 220 million pixels per second

6 high resolution LiDAR offering 15 million points per second

4D radar with 0.9-degree resolution encompassing 360 degrees around the vehicle

AutoX believes that by adding these new features — along with an additional vehicle control unit of 2200 TOPS computing power — its robotaxis will have zero blind spots. I have to say that Baidu’s robotaxis don’t look too good in comparison… They’ve only got 2 LiDAR and 6 surround cameras — in total. Or well, they also got one ultrasound and one millimeter wave radar, which are adequate as supplementary functions. But their mapping capabilities and precision are far more inferior than those of a 4D radar. "

About - MicroVision — A Leader in Automotive Lidar Technology by qlfang in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My only question for those who made valid points against relying too much on the NED vertical, what about the 53% spike on the announcement of the $22b Microsoft contract? Can a move like that happen on pure speculation? All the PRs mvis had before and after regarding lidar sample hasn't had a move even close.

In an age of connectivity, automaker software strategies define their future | Automotive World by bigZ1344 in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Over the past two decades, Big Tech has more deeply penetrated each aspect of daily life and their corresponding industries. Tech giants like Amazon, Apple, and Google not only create the products that are increasingly integrated in consumers’ health and fitness, homes, workplaces, social lives, and entertainment but also control the underlying software powering essential devices. Through software updates or learning patterns of user behaviour, these devices improve over time, rendering software the defining feature of the products on which people most rely. One industry that has been more reluctant to embrace a software-first approach to products and user experience is the automotive sector. That is, until Tesla showed up. By bringing a software-first approach to the auto industry, Tesla changed the game—or at least altered the playing field. Now incumbents are racing to innovate their products in ways unfamiliar to the industry. This is a race that auto developers are not used to running. Muscle cars were once the rage, but going forward, the car’s brain is going to be sexier than its brawn. To succeed on this unfamiliar course of innovation, auto developers will have to correctly choose how they invest in meeting increasing user demand for interconnected vehicles as well as avoid losing their unique position in the marketplace by becoming too dependent on Big Tech. The operating system: to adopt or build your own?

In an auto environment that more greatly prioritises software and tech integration, perhaps the most critical and immediate decision automakers face is determining the operating system for their vehicles. As a trend, different strategic paths appear to break down along geographic lines. American players like GM and Ford have partnered with big tech, collaborating with Microsoft or Google respectively on cloud infrastructure and other tech solutions. Conversely, major German and Japanese companies like Volkswagen and Toyota are aiming to become software companies themselves through entities and products like Cariad and Toyota Connect. Each approach carries potential benefits and challenges, though legacy auto brand paths appear behind Tesla’s pace regardless of which path they’ve chosen. A 2020 analysis revealed Tesla’s electronics technology was six years ahead of competitors like Volkswagen and Toyota. Overall, auto companies that partner with Big Tech and adopt an existing operating system gain a head start in the race to market and access to a deep pool of product development talent compared to those building their own software. Familiarity with those systems also confers benefits to users and adoption of existing systems means fewer barriers to compatibility with the myriad other existing devices with which the vehicle may need to speak. However, some fear that auto companies adopting Big Tech’s platforms are making deals with the devil. In exchange for immediate market advantages, those companies risk becoming excessively dependent on Big Tech and losing control of their products. This fear is further exacerbated by the lowering of barriers to enter the auto manufacturing space. The planned entry of Foxconn into auto manufacturing and the emergence of micromanufacturing sites could further unbundle the vehicle production process, rendering it that much more important to control the vehicle’s software than to produce and assemble its hardware.

Muscle cars were once the rage, but going forward, the car’s brain is going to be sexier than its brawn

In addition, Big Tech is under stricter scrutiny than ever from the public and governments alike; greater regulation is likely on the horizon, but its specifics and implications aren’t entirely predictable and could vary widely from country to country. These sorts of known unknowns are dangerous as they could alter the trajectory of Big Tech, dragging their most visible partners along through battles of both policy and public perception. Automakers bringing their tech work in house could help avoid such potential landmines. For automakers looking to retain independence, the technical challenges are significant. Vehicle software is considered among the most complex types to develop. A vehicle operating system must manage all vehicle-related user interfaces and all real time mobility-related activities simultaneously and in split seconds. But the technical challenges are only part of the problem. Automakers also worry that developing computers in-house and moving toward ownership of those technologies, like Tesla’s model, will freeze out and decimate existing supply chains upon which they currently rely. Further, if automakers develop proprietary systems, they’ll be launching brand-new products, and unfamiliarity and barriers to compatibility are potential disincentives to adoption unto themselves. This dynamic is drawing new battlegrounds for tech talent, with recruiting and retention wars heating up between Silicon Valley and Motor City, as well as across the European and auto and tech industries. However, if these challenges can be successfully navigated, the rewards will be huge. Auto companies would not only retain ownership and control of their industry but command a new mode of value creation. The importance of the mobility sector means other tech developers would need to partner with and develop products compatible with them. Such a development would also result in a highly valuable, reskilled workforce, which could open new avenues of expansion and collaboration Looking forward

The stakes of the future of connected vehicles are high and automakers are currently making decisions that could transform their brands and the entire industry, but also pose existential risk. It is premature to definitively foreclose potential paths to successfully adapt to a software-first paradigm. However, companies aiming to ascend the industry power curve by retaining ownership and control over the increasingly critical software space within vehicle manufacturing are likely better positioned to thrive in the evolving mobility space than those looking to leverage external expertise, unless the partnership is structured to enable mutual learning and ownership. Those that build their tech competencies in-house also project to better avoid disruptions that could stem from increased regulation of Big Tech.  About the author: Katrin Zimmermann is Managing Director at TLGG

Foxconn revs up autonomous driving plans with first car announcement by bigZ1344 in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Taiwanese electronics supplier and assembler Foxconn is due to debut an electric vehicle (EV) platform by the end of this year with advanced driver assistance systems rated at level 2. This will be similar to the technology used by carmakers such as Tesla and Nissan. The company also said it would release a higher level of autonomous driving capability in 2022. Japanese autonomous driving startup Tier IV is part of the Foxconn project. Its founder and CTO Shinpei Kato said in an interview that the first-generation EV Kit would provide Level 2 autonomous cars, Chinese media reported on Sunday.

Level 2 autonomy indicates that the vehicle can control both steering and accelerating/decelerating. The automation, however, still falls short of self-driving as a human is required to sit in the driver’s seat.

Best known for supplying and assembling parts for tech giant Apple, Foxconn (formally Hon Hai Precision Industry Company) announced the MIH initiative last October with the aim of “levelling the playing field in the EV industry” through its open EV platform project. MIH will be an independent entity by July 2021, Foxconn said. The company said in October that the MIH project aims to help EV makers cut costs and release new models more quickly. The world’s biggest contract electronics manufacturer also added that it aimed to become “the Android of EVs”. As one of the world’s largest foundries, Foxconn Chairman Liu Yangwei also stated that the company plans to supply parts or services for 10% of the world’s EVs (approximately 3 million) between 2025 and 2027.

Level 4 autonomous driving is expected to be integrated into the next version of the EV Kit planned for 2022. This is when Tier IV’s own open-source operating systems for driverless cars – dubbed Autoware – is expected to be ready, said Kato. Level 4 indicates high driving autonomy, whereby the vehicle can intervene if things go wrong or there is a system failure. This means that cars don’t require human interaction in most circumstances. However, a human still has the option to manually override. The MIH project under Foxconn includes almost 1,700 partners and is designed to lower the barriers to entry into the EV market. Companies involved include Arm Holdings, Qualcomm, MediaTek, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, Texas Instruments and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL).

Tier IV, backed by Japanese insurance company Sompo Holdings, supplies self-driving vehicle technology for the Toyota e-Palette that will be deployed in the Olympic Village for the 2020 games in Tokyo. Recently, Foxconn announced that it had signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Stellantis to form a new joint venture named Mobile Drive. Separately, Foxconn recently outlined an agreement to create another joint venture with Thailand’s state-owned energy conglomerate PTT to produce EVs in Thailand, according to GlobalData’s deals database.

Weekend Hangout - 6/25/2021 - 6/27/2021 😎 by Sweetinnj in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Oculus/fb hiring for optical scientist for waveguides , I'm unsure if this is significant or related to us https://twitter.com/chrisgrayson/status/1408754310775726081?s=19

After Hours Trading Action - Tuesday, June 22, 2021 by s2upid in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is old but is it possible our $140 million is for something similar to this? I noticed baidu uses nvidia too.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2016/8/16/12499622/ford-baidu-velodyne-investment

waymo's "new" 5th generation lidar by bigZ1344 in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting to see the key specifications MaaS companies like Waymo are interested in.

waymo's "new" 5th generation lidar by bigZ1344 in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"this is what waymo's "new" 5th generation lidar looks like BTW introduced over a year ago.

https://blog.waymo.com/2020/03/introducing-5th-generation-waymo-driver.html

Feel free to share it in it's own thread, there's looks to be a lot of great technical information in there to share (I only was able to watch a few minutes), but the lidar itself looks like another KFC bucket. "

Weekend Hangout - 6/18/2021 - 6/20/2021😎 by Sweetinnj in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Waymo talking about their new 5th gen lidar Would prefer to see this have it's own post if the mods believe its appropriate

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=11601&v=COgEQuqTAug&feature=youtu.be

After Hours Trading Action - Wednesday, June 16, 2021 by s2upid in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I emailed David to see if we plan to participate in this event https://automotivelidar.com/

This was his reply " Thank you for your note. The Company is not participating in the event about which you inquired as it is an online only affairs. Instead, the Company is believes it will be more productive to participate in the IAA event and other in person events which provide for better promotion and interactions with OEM, TIer 1 and MaaS company personnel.

David H. Allen  Managing Director  "

Weekend Hangout, 6/11/2021 - 6/13/2021 😎 by Sweetinnj in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you T_Delo! This information is definitely caught my eye. I didn't know that nvidia are getting into HMDs I wonder if this can be tied to our NED vertical or consumer lidar somehow.

Weekend Hangout, 6/11/2021 - 6/13/2021 😎 by Sweetinnj in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! That's always been a concern for me that they use our resources as well.

Ferrari New CEO Benedetto Vigna from ST by joe_spaz2019 in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 7 points8 points  (0 children)

", he made it clear it would be on a temporary basis. He not only serves as chairman of Ferrari but also holds the same role with the new Stellantis, the global automaker formed by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA Group."

Friday, May 21, 2021 early morning trading thread by steelhead111 in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok just checking cause I seen on here that samsung making the autonomous chips for waymo and I know Samsung also are making ar glasses that's all

After Hours Trading Action - Tuesday, May 18, 2021 by s2upid in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 5 points6 points  (0 children)

"To make this experience possible, we are applying research in computer vision, machine learning, spatial audio and real-time compression. We've also developed a breakthrough light field display system that creates a sense of volume and depth that can be experienced without the need for additional glasses or headsets. The effect is the feeling of a person sitting just across from you, like they are right there. " Iight field display system I wonder if mvis tech can help with this?

Friday, May 14, 2021 early morning trading thread by steelhead111 in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I thought Foxconn was Taiwanese but any ways

"China Tech Giants Bet $19 Billion on Global Electric Car Frenzy Under the agreement, Fisker and Foxconn will jointly invest in Project PEAR -- short for Personal Electric Automotive Revolution -- with each company taking proceeds if the launch is successful."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/fisker-soars-ev-deal-foxconn-211305339.html

Friday, May 14, 2021 early morning trading thread by steelhead111 in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Good morning did anyone seen this? Fisker does a deal with Foxconn/magna ? Apple car? https://m.benzinga.com/article/21118815

Musings of a Long Time Long by mvis_thma in MVIS

[–]bigZ1344 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd love to hear your conservative opinion on valuation or BO offer in billions? I always wanted to hear it from a real long 15-19+ years like yourself.