Tom Tom Automotive
On Wednesday afternoon 19 April, 30 KIVI members visited the TomTom excursion in Amsterdam.
In an impressive English-language programme with presentations on TomTom history, map development, a traffic demo, automotive background and an explanation of TomTom autonomous driving, attendees were updated on the latest developments.
The six phases of autonomous driving from 0 (complete control by driver) to 5 (no more steering wheel) were explained and it was explained that the development is now in phase 4; using a car (cockpit) simulator and a virtual reality presentation, attendees were able to experience how autonomous driving is developing and what maps, sensors and route information plays a role in it; GPS information is too inaccurate and not available in all places on earth so new techniques for positioning are needed.
The state of affairs of the various car manufacturers was explained and TomTom's philosophy that they will never build the car but they will build the software/technology to enable autonomous driving; their cooperation with NVIDIA and takeover of AUTONOMOS, together with TomTom's enormous mapping technology, make them world leaders in autonomous driving.
During the presentations, there was plenty of opportunity to ask questions but the enthusiasm at the end of the afternoon, to chat with all the experts while enjoying a drink and the beautiful view on the sixth floor, was very high.
Description
Tom Tom has specialised in autonomous car driving and is currently , through collaboration with QUALCOM, NVIDIA and acquisition of AUTONOMOS , among global leaders in this field.
The German company AUTONOMOS originated from a research group at the Free University of Berlin and has developed techniques for self-driving cars such as software , 3d sensors and ways to process digital images.
In 2016, Tom Tom entered into an agreement with NVIDIA to develop software to create 'smart' maps for self-driving cars to determine their position faster.
Through its recent collaboration ( Feb 2017) with QUALCOM, a drive data platform will collect and analyse data via sensors to reliably and accurately determine position and recognise the environment. This information will be shared with other vehicles.
TomTom plans to use all this technology in combination with the HAD maps developed by the company, which basically represent the environment as a 3D model, including information on, for example, terrain, road lines and any crash barriers. This should eventually lead to technology that lets self-driving cars determine their position very accurately and be able to react to nearby traffic and surroundings.
PLEASE NOTE! Don't forget to bring your ID.
Location
Organiser
Region North Holland
Name and contact details for information
Theo Fikke