AI Occupant Detection Cameras Could Cut Vehicle Costs and Improve Safety
Key takeaways
- Aptiv says one AI-powered camera can replace multiple sensors while adding new safety features.
- Don’t look now, but automotive engineers have just figured out a new way for AI to make your next car better and cheaper.
- And that detection requires fairly high fidelity for the front passenger seat(s), so the car knows whether to deploy the passenger bag normally, at reduced power (small occupants), or not at all.
Why this matters: an automotive development that could shape industry direction or buying decisions.
Aptiv says one AI-powered camera can replace multiple sensors while adding new safety features.
Don’t look now, but automotive engineers have just figured out a new way for AI to make your next car better and cheaper. It’s another tale of multitasking and doing more with less, and it’s touted as the industry’s first camera-only occupant detection system.
The vehicle safety legislative landscape currently includes FMVSS 208, which originated to require seat belts in 1968 and has morphed into an omnibus passive-restraint performance spec that now effectively requires all cars to measure seat occupancy. And that detection requires fairly high fidelity for the front passenger seat(s), so the car knows whether to deploy the passenger bag normally, at reduced power (small occupants), or not at all. And legislation to prevent children being left behind in hot cars is expected to soon require camera or other detection of rear seat occupancy.