Artificial intelligence in everyday life

Before the planned start of CES, the Innovation Award is given to outstanding products and technologies. This year, the Bosch 3D display won the award in the category “Vehicle Intelligence & Transportation.” Here, passive 3D technology is used to generate images and warning signals on the vehicle display. This allows the driver to take in the information faster than if it were displayed on conventional screens, thus reducing driver distraction. This system with spatial depth works completely without additional features such as eye-tracking or 3D glasses.

The Virtual Visor, which replaces the traditional vehicle sun visor completely, was honored as a Best of Innovation in the CES 2020 Innovation Awards. Virtual Visor links an LCD panel with a driver or occupant-monitoring camera to track the sun’s casted shadow on the driver’s face. The system uses artificial intelligence to locate the driver within the image from the driver-facing camera. It also utilizes AI to determine the landmarks on the face — including where the eyes, nose and mouth are located — so that it can identify shadows on the face. The algorithm analyzes the driver’s view, darkening only the section of the display through which light hits the driver’s eyes. The rest of the display remains transparent, no longer obscuring a large section of the driver’s field of vision.

Bosch’s SoundSee helps make life safer on the International Space Station (ISS): Not much bigger than a lunch box, the sensor system will ride around aboard NASA’s Astrobee robot, a free-floating vehicle that moves autonomously through the space station. SoundSee uses integrated microphones to capture noises produced by machines and scientific instruments while in operation and then analyzes this data using AI-driven analytics. If it detects unusual sounds that indicate a technical problem has occurred, the crew is notified after which they can perform maintenance on the system or systems. This reduces the time and costs associated with carrying out checks and repairs on board the ISS. SoundSee is being testing up in space to make sure it ready for use down on earth. Potential use cases for the system could include predictive maintenance for heating and cooling systems or on vehicle engines.

The front camera combines image-processing algorithms with AI methods. In congested urban traffic, it can, for example, recognize and classify partially obscured or crossing vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists quickly and reliably. This allows the vehicle to trigger a warning or initiate emergency braking.

Along with this, Bosch has also developed a system for use inside a vehicle that uses a camera to detect how many occupants are in the car and where they are seated. This makes it possible to optimize the operation of safety systems such as the airbags where required. Based on a driver’s eyelid movements, the interior monitoring system detects if the person is drowsy or distracted by his or her smartphone and triggers an alert if this is the case.

Bosch’s IoT Shuttle is a vision for the future of mobility. The concept vehicle incorporates a number of technologies and services. It is one example of how electric driverless shuttles could convey passengers in the not too distant future. IoT shuttle also includes a complete ecosystem of networked mobility services, such as reservation and sharing platforms for consumers as well as solutions for car manufacturers and mobility service providers who wish to use autonomous shuttles to offer on-demand mobility. Among other things, Bosch will be demonstrating how online platforms can be used to manage, charge, and maintain fleet vehicles at its booth.