Autonomous driving, digitization and artificial intelligence - with two strong partners at their side, a b-plus research team will devote themselves to the iAATG funding project over the next 3 years. We accompany the future all-electric and highly automated "iNeXT" BMW with innovative technologies.
The current project, which was officially handed over to b-plus, BMW Group Dingolfing and Deggendorf Technical University THD on 05.11.2019, stands for research and development in Lower Bavaria. "The b-plus Group is officially one of the most successful medium-sized companies in Bavaria and, with its innovative technologies, makes a significant contribution to the development of new sensors and functions in highly automated vehicles," says Managing Director Michael Sieg after the ceremony. After the move of b-plus into the ITC Technology Center in Deggendorf, the company was unstoppable. Today, the owner-managed company with a team of over 230 employees is one of the most innovative and attractive employers in the region. Developing and researching future-oriented technologies - this is also possible in Deggendorf!
Bavaria's Minister of State for Economics and Arts Bernd Sibler and the Head of the Ministry of Economics Office Sabine Jarothe were there and are convinced of the success of this cooperation in Lower Bavaria.
The technical validation of automated driving functions is particularly important in this funding project. "Because this", says Dr. Niklas Fichtmüller, Head of Vehicle and Quality Management at BMW Group's Dingolfing plant, "are highly relevant to safety - and safety is our top priority when it comes to autonomous driving. On the other hand, functions of highly automated driving have a significant impact on the customer benefit of the BMW iNEXT. They must therefore meet the highest quality standards. "
Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger: “We are contributing over 800,000 euros to this. We support the transformation process of companies in the Bavarian vehicle and supplier industry, for example by promoting research and development of new products and technologies or pilot projects for mobility solutions. This should enable Bavaria to remain the technology leader in the new mobility world. ”Bavaria's Minister of State for Science and Art Bernd Sibler and the head of the Ministry of Economics, Dr. Sabine Jarothe, made themselves an image at the official project start in the BMW Group plant Dingolfing. Bernd Sibler emphasized: “At Bavaria as a location for science, the global development of autonomous driving is decisively shaped. With the iAATG research project, we combine the potential of science and research with the know-how of companies. This symbiosis promises the highest quality for safer driving through forward-looking automobiles, in short: this is where we shape the mobility of tomorrow. ”
The BMW plant in Dingolfing has a significantly larger number and variety of vehicles available for corresponding tests and inspections. "The aim of the research project that has now started is to develop innovative security concepts and methods for the entire vehicle - for example through the use of artificial intelligence - for this highly innovative product BMW iNEXT," says Eva-Maria Dornisch, project manager at the BMW Group.
Three approaches are specifically pursued. On the one hand, a variety of vehicle variants and equipment options of the BMW iNEXT, from the color of the vehicle to the tire tread, are considered and analyzed for possible interactions, for example with the sensors. "For this," explains Prof. Thomas Limbrunner from Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences, "we use algorithms based on artificial intelligence that are able to recognize relevant patterns in large amounts of data." Artificial intelligence therefore helps with identification and Analysis of possible functional restrictions with certain equipment combinations and ensures that all vehicles that are handed over to customers meet the highest quality standards.
In a second and third subproject, apart from the analysis, it is also about developing innovative test methods. For example, a “test box” is planned, which will be installed in test vehicles and whose software will play out certain environmental scenarios for the vehicles through interventions in the electronics, such as an obstacle on the road. Bernhard Pfeffer, Head of Algorithm Development at b-plus and Overall Project Manager iAATG, explains: "With these simulations, rarely occurring situations can be generated and reactions and functions of a vehicle can be checked efficiently."
Similar test methods are also to be developed to check that highly automated vehicles adequately process information from the manufacturer's cloud - such as traffic or weather information - and react as desired.
Prof. Peter Sperber, President of Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences, sums up: “The job is clearly outlined, the skills and know-how of the partners involved complement each other very well. I think the team will be able to do pioneering work in this exciting future field of automated driving, both scientifically and practically. ”
