Artificial intelligence and connectivity were key themes for Bosch at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. And among the many cool kitchen and household smart gadgets, the company also gave a look at new technologies that could benefit commercial vehicle operators.
Among them was a Wrong Way Driver Warning which will soon be rolled out to vehicles with Sirius XM. The cloud-based system will track vehicles as they approach highway entrance or exit ramps and alert the driver if they’re traveling in the wrong direction.
It will also provide an audible alert to other drivers who have Sirius XM if a wrong way driver is approaching them.
Paul Thomas, president of Bosch in North America, noted there were more than 700 fatalities in the U.S. in 2022 resulting from wrong-way driving, a 60% increase over the last five years. Beyond the initial Sirius XM rollout, Thomas said “We are actively working to bring this technology to more vehicles and smartphones via collaborations.”
Bosch also shared at its press conference the potential for brake-by-wire technology to make driving safer and more accessible. It partnered with Canadian Indy car driver Robert Wickens, who became a paraplegic following a horrific crash at Pocono Raceway in 2018.
In 2022, he was able to return to racing thanks to a partnership with Bosch, who created a hand control braking system for the driver.
“Bosch took the electric braking system based on brake-by-wire technology using software to intelligently balance braking torque with traditional hydraulic brakes,” Wickens explained. “The feel and responsiveness and added technology let me brake faster and more consistently than with a previous braking system. I could control the vehicle the same way other drivers did.”
Tanja Ruckert, Bosch board member, said the “software-defined vehicle has huge potential for safety and efficiency and accessibility, not just in the racing segment.”
The company’s tagline at this year’s CES is ‘Coded like a Bosch,’ which speaks to the company’s focus on AI. But Thomas emphasized, “Replacing you is not what AI is about.”
The company feels it’s incumbent on business organizations to help educate their people on the potential of AI. Bosch itself employs more than 5,000 AI experts and has filed more than 1,500 AI-related patents in Europe over the past five years, said Ruckert.
The company sees many opportunities for AI to help humans. For instance, said Thomas, AI can be used to quickly offer roadside assistance in the event of an emergency in any language.
“If used responsibly it’s a very valuable tool,” Ruckert added. And people are rapidly adopting such tools. She noted 82% of respondents in a global survey said they plan to educate themselves on AI, and 63% believe it should be taught as a standalone subject in school.
However, only a quarter of respondents said they have received AI training from their employer. Bosch has trained more than 65,000 of its employees on AI through an academy it designed, comprised of virtual and in-person training.
Bosch is also leveraging AI internally to speed up its development of new products and getting them to market faster. Asked what advice he has for companies new to AI, Thomas said “Try using it with data you know is right. Feed it information you know is accurate to get comfortable with it. Then slowly start to introduce data you don’t know if it’s true or not and watch for the results you get. We give younger associates data we know is right.”
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