Conventional motor vehicles have been rolling off assembly lines for more than a century. Autonomous vehicles, not so much.
Thankfully, platforms to create safe self-driving cars do exist. AutonomouStuff, the leading single-source supplier of autonomous components, engineering services and automation software, will offer a how-to-build primer on Wednesday, October 5, during the opening keynote at NXP’s FTF Connects event in Detroit.
Led by Wolfgang Juchmann, Ph.D., the company’s Vice President of Sales & Business Development, “Autonomous Vehicles 101” will outline the necessary steps to consider prior to building a self-driving car. Citing real-world examples, Juchmann will address perception sensor choices, GPS/IMU localization accuracy options, vehicle by-wire platforms, data fusion middleware, automation software modules, and choice of computing systems, including NXP’s blue box.
NXP FTF Connects is a two-day technical training seminar that includes in-depth courses and hands-on instruction on NXP Semiconductors’ latest technologies and solutions, for those seeking to design, develop and deploy. The event gets under way on Oct. 5 at Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, just outside Detroit.
According to Juchmann, who will speak at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, “the first step is to define the purpose of the autonomous vehicle. Once you’ve got that locked down, you’re better able to specify the vehicle type, velocity, holding capacity, and the type of traffic environment the vehicle is likely to encounter.”
With basic specs in hand, the next step involves selecting the appropriate perception sensors and determining the optimum way(s) to digest the data from these sensors in real time, using proven software and computing platforms. From there, development progresses to determining how to control the vehicle, which can be fully electronic with a by-wire system, or by adding computer-controlled motors and actuators on a regular non-by-wire vehicle to enable it for autonomy. “The last step is the most challenging, since it involves actual intelligence to define the necessary decision-making for steering, acceleration, and braking in varying traffic situations,” Juchmann says. “A modular algorithm approach makes it possible to combine different modules to adapt to the chosen autonomy scenario.”
One of AutonomouStuff’s Automated Development vehicles will be on hand at the NXP event, showcasing a safe by-wire development platform and perception sensors that monitor the outside world in real-time.
About AutonomouStuff
AutonomouStuff is the world’s leader in supplying components used to enable automation. Headquartered in the heart of Illinois, AutonomouStuff reaches the world as the leading single-source supplier of autonomous components and engineering services. The company was founded with the goal of bringing together the world’s best technologies to enable autonomy and increase safety. For more information visit www.AutonomouStuff.com
