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84 Media
IAA Mobility 2025: Bosch is shaping the new vehicle world with intelligent hardw ...

08.09.2025

Press release

Automated mobility

IAA Mobility 2025: Bosch is shaping the new vehicle world with intelligent hardw ...

Munich, Germany – In the automotive industry, the Bosch name is synonymous with software. The technology company is demonstrating this to impressive effect at this year’s IAA Mobility in Munich. And there’s more: from a single source, Bosch also supplies hardware that’s tailored to the possibilities of the software – a compelling unique selling point for the company worldwide. “Bosch knows its way around software and hardware. Without sophisticated hardware, even the smartest car won’t move a single millimeter,” said Dr. Stefan Hartung, chairman of the Bosch board of management, at the trade fair. “Our aim is to continue playing a key role in shaping the industry in the age of software-driven mobility by offering tailored, intelligent solutions.” Bosch knows its way around software and hardware. Without sophisticated hardware, even the smartest car won’t move a single millimeter. Our aim is to continue playing a key role in shaping the industry in the age of software-driven mobility by offering tailored, intelligent solutions....Dr. Stefan Hartung, chairman of the Bosch board of management Initial indications point to success: Bosch has established a foothold in the software-driven world. One example is Bosch’s by-wire systems for braking and steering, which are considered a key technology for software-defined vehicles and automated driving. Here, the software takes control; a mechanical connection is no longer necessary. This is an important business for Bosch. With brake-by-wire and steer-by-wire, the company expects to achieve cumulative sales revenue of more than 7 billion euros by 2032. The market dynamics of this key technology will continue to accelerate in the 2030s. By-wire technology is a taste of what lies ahead for vehicle construction overall. “In the future, hardware will be designed to fit software requirements,” said Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility business sector. In the future, hardware will be designed to fit software requirements,...Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility business sector Bosch wants to turn cars into personal assistants In software-driven mobility, Bosch Mobility’s business continues to develop – from hardware with embedded software, to services, to completely independent software that manufacturers and partners then integrate into their ecosystems. “Whether stand-alone or interconnected, standardized, integrated, or decoupled – we can offer everything exactly as the customer wants it,” Hartung said. This is clearly having an impact: despite stagnating global vehicle production, weak demand, and delays in electromobility and automated driving, Bosch Mobility will grow slightly in the current year. The increase in sales revenue is expected to amount to a little less than 2 percent. Up to today, a vehicle was never as new as the moment it was delivered. “In the future, however, its software will be continuously updated and it will be constantly learning by means of artificial intelligence,” Heyn said. “More than anything else, the new mobility is user centered.” This is what that looks like: Bosch’s Vehicle Motion Management software coordinates all vehicle movements by centrally controlling the brakes, steering, powertrain, and chassis. This improves coordination between the individual systems – and also means they can be adjusted to the driver’s preferences. A particularly smooth ride today? A little more agility tomorrow? And jolt-free stopping the day after? No problem – at the touch of a button, the car feels completely different. Incidentally, Bosch’s Vehicle Motion Management is decoupled from the hardware, which makes it easy to use in different vehicle architectures. That’s not just theory, it’s happening: the Bosch software is in widespread use, with more than two dozen manufacturers in Europe, China, and Japan already having adopted it. Over the next three years, Bosch will be investing a nine-figure sum in Vehicle Motion Management and expanding its modular software and function portfolio across all domains. Vehicle Motion Management from Bosch works even better in combination with by-wire solutions, because the software can control the respective braking and steering actuators independently of the driver’s actions – for greater safety, improved convenience, or better vehicle dynamics. Bosch’s smart software makes the difference Bosch’s ADAS product family is also software-driven. For intelligent driver assistance systems, vehicle manufacturers can choose from three preconfigured variants that can then be put into production quickly and in a brand-specific way. Here, too, hardware and software can be integrated or purchased separately, depending on customer requirements. Both options benefit from a holistic approach: since Bosch understands the interaction between hardware and software, it can offer individually optimized solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into existing environments. Modern vehicles, which are designed and developed from a software standpoint, make use of ever fewer, but more powerful vehicle computers. These are a growth driver for Bosch: its high-performance computer business is currently growing by more than 5 percent every year, with automakers such as the BMW Group among the customers. Bosch also offers central vehicle computers that combine various functions, such as in driver assistance and infotainment, on just one control unit and one system on a chip (SoC). This saves space, costs, and energy. These systems have a modular structure and can flexibly integrate software from different manufacturers. In China, Bosch is supplying a high-performance computer to SAIC-GM to create a cockpit featuring artificial intelligence. Thanks to this AI cockpit, drivers can talk to their car in a completely natural way and interact with it as if it were a human being. Bosch’s knowledge and expertise make it a sought-after partner The software-driven future is fundamentally changing the automotive industry. Bosch wants to seize the opportunities this new world presents – and is in a good position to do so. Hardly any other company combines hardware and software expertise and global presence as seamlessly as Bosch. This makes the company a flexible and reliable partner for the development of intelligent and connected vehicles. After all, strategic partnerships are crucial, particularly where new business models and scalable software systems are concerned. In China, Bosch is already working with WeRide and Horizon Robotics on the development of systems for assisted and automated driving. In Europe, Bosch and the VW subsidiary Cariad are strategic partners in this area. Bosch assumes that such alliances will become increasingly important in the future, and that the proportion of software in vehicles will continue to rise – and with it, the benefits for drivers in the form of even safer and more convenient mobility.

Automated mobility
Bosch and CARIAD are making automated driving even safer and more convenient with AI

11.08.2025

Press release

Automated mobility

Bosch and CARIAD are making automated driving even safer and more convenient with AI

Bosch and CARIAD are intensifying their cooperation within the Automated Driving Alliance: the partners are developing their software stack for Level 2 and 3 assisted and automated driving by making full use of artificial intelligence. To this end, Bosch and CARIAD are expanding their existing approaches to include state-of-the-art AI methods. This should lead to more powerful, more intelligent driver assistance systems that act as naturally as a human driver – taking the driving experience to a new level and making it even safer. The software stack covers all essential cognitive tasks of perception, interpretation, decision-making, and action. When it comes to getting automated driving systems onto the roads reliably and at scale, data and AI are the key....Mathias Pillin, CTO of Bosch Mobility Expanding the use of modern AI brings the Automated Driving Alliance another step closer to its major goal: Bosch and CARIAD want to make automated driving available to millions of private motorists, from the mass-market to the premium segment. Their goal is for the new driving functions to allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel in various driving situations. The first versions have been implemented in test fleets and are now being systematically trained and further developed on a daily basis with large amounts of data. A software stack for application in production projects will then be available from mid-2026 onward. The Volkswagen Group plans to integrate Bosch and CARIAD’s automated driving functions into its new architecture for software-defined vehicles. Covering the range from individual driving functions to the complete software environment, Bosch will also make this scalable solution available to other manufacturers worldwide in order to actively promote automated driving on a broad scale. The project team of the two companies thus impressively demonstrates that dedicated partnership, technological excellence, and a clear focus on goals lead to innovative European solutions. Peter Bosch, the CARIAD CEO, says: “We’re demonstrating that the German automotive industry has mastered the key technologies of artificial intelligence and automated driving. With the expertise of our developers and engineers, we are securing an integral part of Europe’s digital sovereignty. Our goal in the Alliance is to make the convenience and safety of automated driving systems accessible to as many people as possible so that they can gain valuable time when they’re in their car.” Mathias Pillin, CTO of Bosch Mobility, adds: “When it comes to getting automated driving systems onto the roads reliably and at scale, data and AI are the key. We can only rise to this challenge together if we work as equal partners and abandon ingrained mindsets. Together with CARIAD in the Automated Driving Alliance, we’re showing how this can work.” Use of AI in all technology components The Automated Driving Alliance has been using AI since the partnership begin – in, for example, the area of perception for functions such as object recognition. AI is now being used along the entire software technology chain: in everything from object recognition and the fusion of various sensors such as cameras and radars to decision-making and the safe automated control of the powertrain, steering, and brakes. In the future, the automated driving functions will be based on an end-to-end AI architecture in which all modules will become even more powerful and intelligent through the use of AI. At the heart of these developments is the use of state-of-the-art technology familiar from generative AI applications. Just as language models understand complex semantic relationships, the Automated Driving Alliance’s new AI stack can analyze urban traffic scenarios and anticipate both the current and potential behavior of road users from different sensor modalities. Bosch and CARIAD are making these technological advances within the framework of a modern engineering environment and comprehensive hardware strategy that will ensure scalable and future-proof implementation in all vehicle classes. End-to-end development of all technology elements with their own source code and intellectual property forms the basis of the development partnership. This enables complete technical control of the source code with clear standards for data protection, security, driving safety, and transparency, as well as the ability to generate innovations quickly and flexibly through source code optimization and then deliver them to customers. The developers design the architecture in such a way that the AI’s decisions and actions remain safe, traceable, and explainable. The software stack also lays the groundwork for the possible integration of multimodal AI approaches that link visual and linguistic information. Called vision-language-action (VLA) approaches, they can imitate the logical thinking and actions of humans. Such a step would enable even more efficient training and an even deeper understanding of complex traffic situations. For example, VLAs can help detect hidden risks while driving and facilitate the appropriate response. Large test fleet for daily training of driving systems The AI stack will make automated driving in the Level 2 and Level 3 range even more robust. Up to the start of production, performance will be steadily improved by continuously collecting enormous amounts of data in order to maximize the system’s safety and reliability. A comprehensive test and validation fleet on public roads is essential for this. The CARIAD and Bosch teams are working together worldwide, testing the driving functions on public roads in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. – underlining their ambitious plan to create a software stack for automated driving that can be used in many global markets. Development is data-driven, which means that the software can be imported into the test vehicles several times a day with new updates and optimizations to the source code. The technology is already being used in test vehicles such as the ID.Buzz and the Audi Q8. This year alone, hundreds of additional test vehicles will be equipped with a comprehensive set of sensors in order to collect high-quality data. That data helps developers further optimize the AI stack and analyze rare and complex driving situations, known as corner cases. Thanks to the development of an end-to-end, AI-supported software solution, assisted and automated driving will become even safer and more convenient for the consumer.

Automated mobility
Radar technology: Bosch drives ADAS applications forward with new SoCs

29.07.2025

Press release

Automated mobility

Radar technology: Bosch drives ADAS applications forward with new SoCs

Stuttgart, Germany – More safety, more convenience: advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are a major focus of the technological transformation currently taking place in the automotive industry, which is moving toward increasing levels of automated and autonomous mobility. Powerful radar sensors that equip vehicles with innovative functions are an important part of this transformation. For example, they reliably recognize objects or other road users in traffic and will therefore play a key role in the safety of tomorrow’s mobility. At the heart of modern radar sensors are powerful system-on-chips (SoCs) – integrated circuits that combine a large number of electronic system functions in one component. This approach offers a decisive advantage: it enables powerful radar sensors to be manufactured cost-effectively. Bosch can already look back on 25 years of experience in the field of radar sensors. With our advanced SoCs, we’re helping to make driving convenient and, above all, safe....Peter Wolfangel, executive vice president of the Mobility Electronics division at Bosch. Bosch has now introduced two new system-on-chips. The SX600 and the SX601 support a wide range of advanced driver assistance functions that fall under SAE level 2+ for vehicle autonomy. For example, the automatic emergency braking function reduces the risk of rear-end collisions. Other applications include adaptive cruise control, the detection of objects in the driver’s blind spot, and the lane change assistant. Semiconductors and sensors directly from Bosch “Bosch can already look back on 25 years of experience in the field of radar sensors. With our advanced SoCs, we’re helping to make driving convenient and, above all, safe,” says Peter Wolfangel, executive vice president of the Mobility Electronics division at Bosch. Automotive customers and distributors can source these SoCs directly from Bosch. According to the Automotive Semiconductor Market Tracker forecast by S&P Global Mobility in March 2025, the market for radar semiconductors is set to grow by 12 percent annually. This represents a disproportionately strong increase compared to the overall automotive semiconductor market. High resolution and long range, even for small objects The two new chips have a fully digital, fast-response phase-locked loop (PLL) – a control circuit that uses digital components to adjust the frequency and phase of an output signal to the frequency and phase of an input signal. The digital PLL is therefore more precise, more flexible, and easier to integrate than an analog one. It generates a highly flexible output signal and enables a long range and high resolution. The integrated radar receiver offers a high dynamic range for optimized object recognition, making the sensors highly sensitive even to small and distant targets. Their error rate is also significantly lower than with other radar sensors. This advanced radar detection inevitably requires greater computing power. Bosch manufactures the two new radar SoCs using 22nm RF CMOS technology. This cutting-edge semiconductor technology allows the SoCs to be fully integrated at low cost and offers a range around 30 percent greater than conventional sensors on the market. The multicore subsystem provides sufficient memory and computing power to integrate customer functions directly on the chip, with plenty of scope for future expansion. AI capability based on neural networks The chips are equipped with a millimeter-wave sensor frontend (mmWave) and a powerful digital signal processor for conventional or AI-based data processing. This frontend is the interface between the real world and digital processing – and is thus crucial to the functionality and accuracy of the entire mmWave sensor system. Its high computing power supports complex recognition algorithms and artificial intelligence based on neural networks. These advanced functions allow the ADAS system to reliably distinguish between pedestrians and other objects. Bosch offers the matching engineering environment to simplify the implementation of applications with machine learning. Ready for future innovations thanks to drop-in compatible technology The SX600 and the SX601 operate in the 77 GHz frequency band. Both SoCs feature CAN XL and Ethernet interfaces, which means they can be connected flexibly to the vehicle system. Hardware-based security accelerators and data encryption prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access. While the SX600 is designed for cost efficiency, the SX601 offers more memory and the greatest computing power currently available on the market. The two models are interchangeable, making it easy to upgrade the system. Each sensor is equipped with four transmitting and four receiving channels. For applications with even higher requirements, Bosch offers a cascadable solution consisting of two interconnected chips. Samples of the SX601 are already available to customers worldwide for development and testing purposes.

Automated mobility
Auto Shanghai: Bosch presents new software and hardware for assisted and automat ...

23.04.2025

Press release

Automated mobility

Auto Shanghai: Bosch presents new software and hardware for assisted and automat ...

Stuttgart/Shanghai – At this year’s Auto Shanghai, Bosch is presenting its extensive portfolio of solutions for assisted and automated driving and parking. It includes software features and hardware components that the technology group is aligning with the expectations of local drivers and can be easily customized for different customer needs. With its radar sensor, Bosch is the first Tier 1 supplier worldwide to break new ground and develop and manufacture the entire product in-house. The special feature: The sensor has a computing chip specially developed by Bosch – known as an SoC – which combines high computing power with the smallest possible footprint. The radar sensor fits into Bosch’s newly designed modular system for assisted and automated driving: The Bosch ADAS product family (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) offers a kind of ecosystem of software, sensors and services as well as the appropriate high-performance computers. Customers can make use of this and flexibly utilize the comprehensive solutions for various markets and vehicle segments – from low-cost small cars to high-performance premium models. The goal: Bosch wants to enable manufacturers worldwide to bring driver assistance functions to the mass market more easily, quickly, and cost-effectively. A new generation of the multi purpose camera and the inertial sensor unit for the precise localization of assisted and automated vehicles complement the sensor portfolio. With our new Bosch ADAS product family, we are offering cost-efficient solutions for assisted and automated driving to the usual high standards of quality and safety. We have the right software and hardware for driver assistance functions, from small cars to mid segment and premium vehicles. This enables car manufacturers to integrate functions quickly and easily into their vehicles and bring them to market very fast....Christoph Hartung, President of the Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division at Robert Bosch GmbH. “With our new Bosch ADAS product family, we are offering cost-efficient solutions for assisted and automated driving to the usual high standards of quality and safety. We have the right software and hardware for driver assistance functions, from small cars to mid segment and premium vehicles. This enables car manufacturers to integrate functions quickly and easily into their vehicles and bring them to market very fast,” says Christoph Hartung, President of the Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division at Robert Bosch GmbH. New Bosch ADAS product family in three equipment variants Advanced driver assistance systems help to increase safety and comfort on the road. For example, by providing the driver with targeted support during monotonous and tiring driving tasks. Bosch has many years of experience with driver assistance systems, their development and integration into the vehicle. A deep understanding of each vehicle area is required for optimum implementation. With this expertise, Bosch is repositioning the ADAS product family. It enables assisted driving and parking up to SAE level 2, thus meeting the prevailing demand on the market. Bosch offers the ADAS product family in three variants: for the entry segment, the mid segment and the high segment. The variants differ depending on the scope of the software, the number and combination of sensors, and the required computing power. Seamless harmonization of these individual components facilitates system integration. Bosch gives car manufacturers swift and uncomplicated access to driver assistance systems, enabling them to significantly accelerate the development time of their vehicles. Bosch brings its hardware and software components to the market both as a complete systemic solution and separately from each other, as is the case in modern vehicle development. This provides further scope, as individual components of the three variants can be exchanged and flexibly combined as required. Accordingly, manufacturers have further freedom to integrate the driver assistance systems into their cars on a brand-specific basis. Artificial intelligence can be found throughout the Bosch ADAS product family. Bosch uses it, for example, for perception and driving planning. Thanks to AI, the vehicle thinks ahead, pays attention to what other road users might be doing, and calculates the next steps to safely reach the destination. The entry segment version already incorporates key safety and comfort functions into the vehicle. The car uses this to regulate its speed and distance from the vehicle in front depending on the situation and keeps in lane when lane markings are clearly visible. This variant can be implemented as a purely camera solution with the new multi purpose camera from Bosch, but can also be supplemented with up to five radar sensors depending on the safety requirements (of a country). The variant for the mid segment unlocks even more extensive functions. For example, an extended lane keeping assist that can also cope with lane markings that are not visible in places. In this variant, Bosch combines its camera heads for perception with additional sensors. The computing power no longer takes place in the camera itself, but in a more powerful central vehicle computer, as is becoming standard in software cars. Thanks to Bosch, the vehicle masters more complex traffic scenarios, which further increases driving comfort and safety on freeways and in heavy traffic. The system also pays attention and supports the driver. Bosch is already introducing hands-free driving on the freeway in this variant, provided the legal framework in the respective country permits it. This means that the driver can take their hands off the steering wheel at times, but still remains responsible. The variant for the high segment represents the pinnacle of Bosch driving assistance. It uses a 360-degree video belt and impresses with even greater computing power, so that the vehicle can handle urban junctions with ease and safely enter and exit roundabouts. Hands-free driving is extended to urban traffic in this version, provided that the legal requirements in the markets allow it. Bosch takes into account the various regulatory requirements and safety assessments. Bosch ADAS product family goes into serial production in mid-2025 The equipment variant for the mid-range segment will go into serial production with a Chinese manufacturer in the middle of this year. Users of this system will benefit from an assistance system linked to the navigation system, which is particularly popular among Chinese customers. The vehicle then independently carries out driving maneuvers along the route entered, such as changing lanes on freeways. The driver remains responsible and must be ready to intervene at any time. This function makes driving in the heavy traffic of Chinese cities more convenient and safer. Bosch has also already secured its first orders for the high segment version, with serial production expected to start in summer 2025. Bosch has already acquired half a dozen new customers for the ADAS product family for mid- and high segment in China, including BAIC, Dongfeng and Jetour. Bosch is thus continuously strengthening its leading position in the global ADAS market. New radar sensor with Bosch SoC Radar sensors are key components of driver assistance systems and modern vehicles would be inconceivable without them. For the new generation of its radar sensor, Bosch has developed and manufactured all core elements in-house, including the computing chip (SoC). The new Bosch radar sensor uses “RF CMOS technology,” which enables the efficient integration of high-frequency and digital circuits on a single chip. The structure size of the transistors of only 22 nanometers makes the chip particularly powerful and efficient despite its small footprint. Bosch is the first Tier 1 supplier on the market to introduce this technology in serial production. New generation of the multi purpose camera With the increasing market penetration of more extensive driver assistance functions in the lower price segments, high-performance yet affordable camera solutions are steadily gaining in importance. The new multi purpose camera from Bosch enables assisted driving and parking functions (up to SAE level 2) from the entry segment. Serial production is scheduled to start in 2026, initially in the Chinese market. Bosch’s own optical image processing module in the new camera generation ensures optimum sharpness and precision over the entire product service life, even in highly fluctuating temperatures. The camera is particularly durable, with consistently stable functional performance. With its 8 megapixel image sensor, a horizontal field of vision of 120 degrees, and a detection range of up to 300 meters, the camera enables safety and convenience functions for assisted driving. These include adaptive cruise control and distance control, emergency braking within your own lane, lane keeping in urban areas, and detection and stopping at red lights. The new multi purpose camera is the central interface for the fusion of various sensor data. This means that the camera combines the data from its own image sensor and additionally from up to five radars and other sensors such as driver monitoring cameras or interior sensors. This integrated approach enables OEMs to reliably comply with mandatory ADAS regulations (e.g. General Safety Regulation), improve driving safety, and support the driver on the freeway (e.g. with assisted lane changes). Safe localization in all driving situations For assisted and automated driving, it is essential that vehicles can locate themselves precisely and safely at all times. Even in difficult visibility conditions and in the absence of lane markings or if the signal from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) fails – for example, when driving through a tunnel – it is essential that the vehicle’s location can be determined reliably. This is the only way to guarantee a high level of functional availability. At the largest automotive trade fair in China, Bosch is presenting for the first time the new generation of its high-performance inertial measurement unit (IMU), which has been specially designed for ADAS and vehicle dynamics applications. Vehicles pitch when braking, lean to one side (roll) or lurch (swerve) when taking corners. In addition to these movements, the inertial sensor unit measures the vertical, longitudinal and lateral acceleration of the vehicle. From this, it can precisely calculate the relative change in position of the vehicle, enabling it to maintain the originally planned route with only minimal deviation. With various product variants, Bosch offers a high degree of scalability, from the cost-effective entry segment variant for assisted driving to the high-performance sensor for automated driving up to SAE level 4. Bosch uses sensor modules that are manufactured in the company’s own production facilities and, in addition to an in-depth understanding of the system, can draw on a comprehensive range of experience from over three decades of developing such inertial sensors. Growing significance of China for global development The Chinese market plays an important role for Bosch. Innovative solutions are developed here and brought to market maturity particularly quickly. Thanks to its decades of local presence, Bosch understands the needs of Chinese consumers. Together with its development partner WeRide, the technology group successfully brought the Bosch Advanced Driving Solution, a Level 2++ system, into serial production at Chinese manufacturer Chery at the end of 2023. Demand for advanced driver assistance systems that leave the driver in control is particularly high among Chinese manufacturers. More than half the new cars sold in China in 2024 featured Level 2 solutions or higher. Rapid growth is expected until the end of the decade.

Automated mobility
Auto Shanghai: Bosch Mobility grows in China with solutions for software-defined cars

23.04.2025

Press release

Automated mobility

Auto Shanghai: Bosch Mobility grows in China with solutions for software-defined cars

Shanghai, China, and Stuttgart, Germany – As the leading vehicle market, China goes its own way and is already thinking about cars more in terms of software – just like Bosch. When it comes to software-defined mobility, which in China is also known as intelligent mobility, the company is a pioneer and commercially successful technology leader. Bosch Mobility grew by 4.0 percent to 116.6 billion yuan (around 15 billion euros) in China last year, accounting for more than 80 percent of Bosch’s sales revenue in the country. This means the mobility business grew even faster than the market. According to Bosch figures, vehicle production in China increased by 3.7 percent last year. In 2024, the country produced 31.3 million vehicles. Of these, around 27.5 million were passenger cars and some 4 million were commercial vehicles. The prospects for Bosch are good: over 65 percent of the new orders Bosch Mobility won there last year were in two areas of future importance: electrified powertrains and software-defined cars. Bosch is driving forward developments in China at high speed and successfully bringing them to market. This applies in particular to the areas of infotainment, driver assistance, and electromobility. Bosch is also one of the innovation leaders in the highly competitive Chinese market. Our products are well received, this underlines our growth in China and the new orders we have won....Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH “Bosch is driving forward developments in China at high speed and successfully bringing them to market. This applies in particular to the areas of infotainment, driver assistance, and electromobility,” said Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, at this year’s Auto Shanghai. “Bosch is also one of the innovation leaders in the highly competitive Chinese market. Our products are well received, this underlines our growth in China and the new orders we have won,” Hartung added. First customer in China opts for Bosch AI cockpit The trend toward state-of-the-art software-defined cars goes hand in hand with the use of ever fewer, but more powerful vehicle computers. Bosch has now received its first customer order for just such a high-performance computer in China, which will be used to create a cockpit featuring artificial intelligence (AI cockpit). This computer has a processor known as a system on a chip (SoC), which processes huge data sets from a large language model. The striking thing is that, thanks to the AI cockpit, the driver can talk to the vehicle in a completely natural way and interact with it as if it were a human being. Another advantage is that new functions and applications can be installed over the air via software updates. Production of this cockpit vehicle computer, which a vehicle manufacturer in China will install in various models for the first time, will start this year with a six-digit number of units. The Bosch high-performance computer is also fusion-capable, meaning it can, for example, combine different domains such as infotainment and driving assistance on one SoC. The attractions for automakers include reduced installation space and simpler cabling, which lower costs. China is an extremely competitive market with demanding, tech-savvy drivers. Bosch works with almost all Chinese manufacturers, but also with numerous international automakers operating in China....Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH and chairman of Bosch Mobility Bosch fulfills desire for advanced driver assistance systems Bosch’s portfolio for the new software-defined cars also includes a flexible modular system for driver assistance functions. The company’s ADAS family of advanced driver assistance systems enables manufacturers worldwide to bring such functions to the mass market faster and more cost-effectively. Bosch has already acquired half a dozen new customers in China for the ADAS family for mid- and high segment, including BAIC, Dongfeng and Jetour. “China is an extremely competitive market with demanding, tech-savvy drivers. Bosch works with almost all Chinese manufacturers, but also with numerous international automakers operating in China,” says Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH and chairman of Bosch Mobility. With the Bosch ADAS family, automakers can choose between three preconfigured variants and then quickly integrate them into their production vehicles. The pre-configured variants cover all vehicle segments from entry-level and mid-size cars to premium vehicles. Alternatively, individual modules can be flexibly combined as required. This gives manufacturers further design freedom to integrate the driver assistance systems into their cars in a brand-specific way. Chinese car manufacturer uses Bosch’s innovative brake-by-wire system The software-defined mobility of the future calls for a hardware rethink, too. Bosch is a pioneer and has the advantage of being equally at home with hardware and software. Not only has the technology company won its first customer order in China around the new AI cockpit, it has now also received the first Chinese order for its innovative new brake-by-wire system. A leading Chinese car company will use it in certain models. With brake-by-wire, redundant signal lines transmit the driver’s braking request electrically; the Bosch system completely eliminates the mechanical connection from the pedal to the rest of the braking system. The basis for this fundamentally new approach is a robust and efficient solution with two independent hydraulic brake actuators: a by-wire brake actuator and ESP. Bosch has already been able to win over a European automaker for this solution. In addition to its hydraulic solution, Bosch is also developing a purely electromechanical system. The shift toward software-defined mobility calls for new approaches to steering as well. With steer-by-wire, electrical cables replace the mechanical connection between the steering column and steering mechanism. The joint venture Bosch Huayu Steering Systems has already been able to win over three local manufacturers for its new steer-by-wire system. Production is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2025. Other Bosch technology highlights at Auto Shanghai include a 48-volt electrical system for future software-defined cars, a new radar generation with Bosch’s own SoC, and a new multifunction camera. The SoC combines high computing power with a small footprint, while the multifunctional camera offers a balanced price/performance ratio and enables driving and parking assist functions even in the price-sensitive compact car segment. Full-scale production for the Chinese market is scheduled to start in 2026. The Bosch camera is the central interface for the fusion of various streams of sensor data. It combines data from its own image sensor as well as from up to five radars and, for example, interior cameras. China is the world’s leading market for electromobility China, however, is not only a driver of innovation for software-defined cars and advanced assistance systems. Its demand for electric cars and vehicles with alternative powertrain systems is also high. In 2024, new energy vehicles (NEVs) achieved a 40 percent share, which corresponds to almost 13 million vehicles. These include battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids, range-extended electric vehicles, and fuel-cell vehicles. Bosch’s electric axle drive, e-axle, is particularly popular in China. This is a complete solution comprising an electric motor, power electronics, and transmission. Bosch’s own silicon carbide chips ensure longer ranges and more efficient charging processes. These extend the vehicle’s range by up to 6 percent compared with chips based solely on silicon. In the commercial vehicle segment, Bosch is meeting increasing numbers of customer requests for its mobile fuel-cell power module and has already delivered several thousand of these modules in China.

Automated mobility
Vehicle Motion Management: new software solution provides early warning for tire ...

10.12.2024

Press release

Automated mobility

Vehicle Motion Management: new software solution provides early warning for tire ...

Stuttgart, Germany – Hardly anyone thinks about them, but they are essential for driving safety - tires. Loss of tire pressure or loose wheels can lead to breakdowns and lead to potentially dangerous situations. Systems that detect tire condition and warn the driver in time can help prevent such incidents. Currently, the market offers various technologies that can monitor tire conditions. This can be done either directly through additional sensors installed in the tires or software-based by analyzing vehicle behavior. Bosch is now expanding its range of software solutions for data-based tire health and will offer them as part of its data-based service, within the Bosch Vehicle Motion Management ecosystem – a software system solution for the entire scope of vehicle motion. For this purpose, Bosch is also working with partners. In the area of indirect systems that do not require additional sensors in the tires, Bosch is expanding its long-standing business relationship with the automotive supplier NIRA Dynamics, with focus on gradual pressure loss and loose wheel detection, leveraging the expertise of both companies to ensure precise and cost-effective solutions.Data-based Tire Solutions is an innovative, data-based service consisting of various algorithms that continuously monitor the condition of the tires and provide early warnings to the driver about gradual tire pressure loss or loosened wheel bolts. "With Data-based Tire Solutions, we’re offering our customers a vehicle motion management software solution that covers all key factors of tire health to prevent potential breakdowns” says Stephan Staß, member of the executive management of the Bosch Vehicle Motion division. Early warning of gradual tire pressure loss and loose wheels The Bosch data-based tire system monitors each tire continuously and individually, alerting drivers of gradual loss of tire pressure and loose wheels through a user-friendly interface. One of the new algorithms of the data-based tire solutions is able to detect even small, gradual pressure loss in the tires. As soon as the tire pressure value deviates from the nominal value by around 5 percent, drivers are informed and – if necessary – warned. Once the tire pressure has been fully restored, the system can be easily reset using the Easy Reset function. Another algorithm detects a loosening wheel as soon as the wheel bolts are loose by just half a millimeter, which is very difficult for untrained drivers to notice. In addition to providing adequate, early warnings to drivers, the system also recommends specific courses of action. In this way, Bosch data-based tire solutions help prevent to avoid breakdowns and enhance safety on every drive.

Automated mobility
Greater safety on the roads: Bosch rolls out innovative real time service in mil ...

10.09.2024

Press release

Automated mobility

Greater safety on the roads: Bosch rolls out innovative real time service in mil ...

Stuttgart, Germany – Dense fog, heavy rain, a broken-down vehicle behind the bend: in road traffic, such sudden events can have far-reaching consequences. With its road hazard service, Bosch provides drivers with real-time information about potential hazards en route, thereby considerably reducing the risk of accidents. Since June 2024, the Bosch road hazard service has been in use millions of times over in Europe in the car fleet of a leading German automaker. Now Bosch is bringing the service to the commercial vehicle segment: starting in December 2024, it will also be available in vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Trucks. The next goal is to expand rollout of the service to cars and trucks worldwide and thus increase road safety for as many people as possible. Our predictive road hazard service reports dangerous conditions to car and truck drivers in good time before a critical situation can arise....Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility business sector “Our predictive road hazard service reports dangerous conditions to car and truck drivers in good time before a critical situation can arise,” says Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility business sector. “In commercial vehicles, the service also makes it possible to reroute vehicles efficiently and in time to avoid hazards that suddenly crop up.” With the Bosch road hazard service, drivers receive real-time warnings about current events on their route. This includes information about accidents, wrong-way drivers, heavy rain or wind, broken-down vehicles, or restricted visibility due to, say, dense fog.How the Bosch service works Critical road conditions can be precisely predicted on the basis of anonymized data from a global customer fleet of several million vehicles, as well as data from third-party providers such as weather services or road operators. The fleet vehicles equipped with the service provide various types of information, including local outside temperature and whether the windshield wipers or rear fog lights are activated, as well as accident reports or interventions by the ESP anti-skid system. For example, if some of the fleet vehicles have their windshield wipers set to the highest level, the service also compares the information with that of selected weather services – such as whether it’s raining or how many millimeters of water have been recorded on the road. A fusion algorithm determines whether there is a risk of, say, aquaplaning, and the service then warns the driver so that they can reduce their speed if necessary. Or another example: if visibility for the driver threatens to fall below a critical level, the service compares this with the activity of the rear fog lights of vehicles in the affected region and uses an algorithm to decide whether a warning is necessary. A reference fleet continuously ensures that the service stays at a high level of quality. Bosch’s wrong-way driver warning supplements the service. If there’s a wrong-way driver in the vicinity, or the driver themself is driving in the wrong direction, the service sends them a warning directly to the navigation display. Part of the Bosch connected map services The road hazard service is part of Bosch’s connected map services, which bring more safety and convenience to the vehicle. Their swarm data and weather information can also be used to optimize driver assistance systems such as adaptive cruise control or automatic emergency braking. For example, when the road is wet or slippery, the friction coefficient of the road is lower than when it’s dry, so the vehicle has to initiate emergency braking earlier in order to avoid a potential accident. With the service, drivers will be warned even earlier when the road surface is slick. Connected map services play an important role in increasingly assisted and automated driving. They act as an additional sensor that looks far beyond the field of view and range of radar and video sensors to reliably supply the automated vehicle with all relevant data for safe driving, even in poor visibility conditions. In contrast to non connected vehicles, vehicles with connected map services benefit from the combined experience of all connected vehicles. This allows the vehicle systems to determine things such as the optimum driving speed in a traffic circle, the exact lane geometry and driving trajectory at convoluted intersections, or localization landmarks that the vehicle can use to calculate its position with centimeter precision. As a result, automated vehicles can drive more naturally and predictively.

Automated mobility
For safer roads: Bosch teams up with Microsoft to explore new frontiers with gen ...

28.02.2024

Press release

Automated mobility

For safer roads: Bosch teams up with Microsoft to explore new frontiers with gen ...

Stuttgart, Germany – It’s a scenario that no driver ever wants to see: a ball rolling out into the road. The chances are it will be followed immediately by a child in hot pursuit, oblivious to any traffic. But while human drivers can assess this situation using their contextual knowledge, today’s assisted and automated driving systems still have to learn how to do it. Bosch is pursuing the use of generative AI in terms to further improve automated driving functions. As part of this, Bosch and Microsoft are exploring opportunities to collaborate and leverage the power of generative AI. “Bosch is working on bringing a new dimension of AI applications into the vehicle,” said Dr. Stefan Hartung, chairman of the Bosch board of management, at this year’s Bosch Connected World (BCW) AIoT industry conference in Berlin. The expectation is that generative AI will enable vehicles to assess situations and react accordingly, and in this way keep road users even safer. Greater safety on the roads is also the wish of 60 percent of respondents to this year’s Bosch Tech Compass, a worldwide representative Bosch survey on the subjects of technology and AI. Bosch is working on bringing a new dimension of AI applications into the vehicle,...says Dr. Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management. Generative AI to make road traffic safer The two companies anticipate that a collaboration would take the performance of automated driving functions to the next level. They would like to see generative AI help enhance convenience in the vehicle and to provide greater safety for all road users. To achieve this, Bosch's comprehensive understanding of vehicles and automotive-specific AI expertise will be invaluable, as well as their access to vehicle sensor data to feed the generative AI. “In our unwavering commitment to safer roads, Microsoft is eager to explore collaboration opportunities with Bosch to pioneer the realm of generative AI,” said Uli Homann, Microsoft CVP and Distinguished Architect. Even today, when it comes to training systems for automated driving, AI quickly comes up against its limits. Today’s driver assistance systems can detect people, animals, objects, and vehicles, but in the near future generative AI could help determine whether a situation could potentially lead to an accident. Generative AI utilizes vast amounts of data to train systems for automated driving, enabling them to draw improved conclusions from this data. For example, it could deduce whether an object on the road ahead is a plastic bag or a damaged vehicle part. This information can be used either to communicate directly with the driver – such as by displaying a warning – or to initiate appropriate driving maneuvers, such as braking while switching on the hazard warning lights. Bosch and Microsoft have already partnered to develop a universal software platform for seamlessly connecting cars and the cloud, and are looking forward to work together to identify new opportunities to bring cutting-edge AI technology to their customers and the autonomous vehicle industry. Generative AI as a boost to innovation “Generative AI is a boost to innovation. It can transform industry in much the same way as the invention of the computer,” says Dr. Tanja Rueckert, member of the Bosch board of management and chief digital officer. The new 2024 Bosch Tech Compass shows this as well: 64 percent of respondents believe that AI is the technology with the greatest importance for the future. In comparison, only 41 percent of respondents were of the same opinion just one year ago. Generative AI is a boost to innovation. It can transform industry in much the same way as the invention of the computer,...says Dr. Tanja Rueckert, member of the Bosch board of management and chief digital officer. From manufacturing to everyday office work, generative AI is already being used in many areas at Bosch. In addition to Microsoft, the company is working with several partners, including AWS, Google, and Aleph Alpha. The Bosch Group’s venture capital unit, Bosch Ventures, invested in the AI company Aleph Alpha last year. Bosch also announced it would collaborate with the startup on finding new use cases both for Bosch associates and customers. “Bosch and Aleph Alpha want to learn from each other, benefit from each other’s know-how, and work together on cross-domain use cases,” Rueckert says. This partnership is now bearing its first fruits in North America: in collaboration with Aleph Alpha, Bosch is debuting AI-based speech recognition on behalf of a premium car manufacturer. In this solution, a chatbot understands and answers breakdown service calls with the help of natural language processing, which also recognizes dialects, accents, and moods. The call is taken directly, reducing the driver’s waiting time to a minimum. As many as 40 percent of calls can be processed and resolved automatically; for more complex queries, the bot transmits all relevant information to a service center agent who takes over the case immediately. From the AI search engine to manufacturing AI experts at Bosch are currently working on well over 120 specific applications that these new AI models open up for the company’s associates and customers. Such applications include the generation of software program code or powerful chatbots and voicebots to support technicians or interact with consumers. Another is AskBosch, the in-house AI-assisted search engine launched at the end of 2023. It offers faster natural-language access to a wide variety of data sources – sources scattered over the intranet, say. In addition to externally available data, AskBosch also includes internal data sources, so Bosch associates can research information specific to the company. Generative AI also ensures greater speed in manufacturing: in initial projects in two Bosch plants in Germany, generative AI creates synthetic images in order to develop and scale AI solutions for optical inspection and optimize existing AI models. Bosch expects that this will reduce the time needed for planning, launching, and ramping up AI applications from the current six-to-twelve months to just a few weeks. Following successful piloting, this service for generating synthetic data is to be offered to all Bosch locations. 2024 Bosch Tech Compass: setting the pace in the use of AI As AI is used in more and more areas of life, professional development is becoming increasingly important: 58 percent of respondents to the Bosch Tech Compass are convinced of this. This opinion is particularly prevalent in USA at 63 percent (Germany: 54 percent, China: 52 percent). Here, too, Bosch is setting the pace in the use of artificial intelligence and is getting its associates on board. In 2019, Bosch launched a training program, initially aimed at bringing 30,000 associates up to speed on the subject of AI. Up to now, some 28,000 associates have taken part in the program. Like the Bosch AI code of ethics, which sets ethical guidelines for dealing with artificial intelligence, this program has been supplemented with content about generative AI. For all the results of the 2024 Bosch Tech Compass, click here . About the survey: For the representative survey, people aged 18 and over in seven countries (Brazil, China, Germany, France, India, the U.K., and the U.S.) were polled online on behalf of Robert Bosch GmbH by the market researchers Gesellschaft für Innovative Marktforschung mbH (GIM) in December 2023. In Germany, France, and the U.K., at least 1,000 people were polled per country; in Brazil, China, India, and the U.S., it was at least 2,000 people each. The random samples are representative of their respective countries in terms of region, gender, and age (Brazil, Germany, France, U.K., U.S.: 18 to 69 years / China, India: 18 to 59 years).

Automated mobility
CES world premiere: Bosch unites infotainment and driver assistance functions on ...

05.12.2023

Press release

Connected mobility

CES world premiere: Bosch unites infotainment and driver assistance functions on ...

Stuttgart – The trend toward software-defined mobility goes hand in hand with a centralized vehicle and electric/electronic (E/E) architecture. While numerous electronic control units usually control different functions in the car today, in the future just a few central vehicle computers will unite multiple system functions from previously separate domains. To do this, new computers with a powerful processor, known as a system on chip (SoC), are necessary. As an innovation and technology leader, Bosch is leading the charge and, at CES® 2024 in Las Vegas, will be the world’s first automotive supplier to demonstrate the fusion of infotainment and driver assistance functions in a software-intensive central computer on a single SoC. “We want to reduce the complexity of the electronics systems in cars and make them as secure as possible at the same time. With this demonstration of our new vehicle computer platform at CES, we are taking an important step in exactly this direction. Our goal in the medium term is to bring even more automated driving functions to the road, including to the compact and midsized car segments,” says Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the board of management at Robert Bosch GmbH and chairman of Bosch Mobility.At the core of the new vehicle computer from Bosch – called the cockpit & ADAS integration platform – is a single SoC, which processes a variety of functions from the two domains of infotainment and driver assistance simultaneously. This includes, for example, automated parking and lane detection, paired with smart, personalized navigation and voice assistance. Advantages for vehicle manufacturers: less space and cabling required, meaning lower costs. Central vehicle computers are the heart of software-defined cars. In the future, they will control all the domains in modern vehicles and reduce the currently high number of individual control units...says Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the board of management at Robert Bosch GmbH and chairman of Bosch Mobility. Overall, Bosch is already doing good business with vehicle computers: in 2026, the company expects sales revenue of three billion euros just for vehicle computers for infotainment and driver assistance. Modular system principle for maximum scalability For its central vehicle computers, Bosch uses a modular system principle. Together with stand-alone software solutions such as video perception for surround sensing, vehicle manufacturers can modularly and scalably assemble their individual solutions in combination with hardware components. Software-intensive central computers play a decisive role here, since they enable manufacturers to implement driving and assistance features. Software integration is in strong demand here. Bosch brings integrative expertise and enables software components from various sources to be combined. Bosch knowledge in all vehicle domains as a competitive advantage Nearly every vehicle maker in the world is currently investing massively in software-defined vehicles. Bosch predicts that the market for automotive software will reach a volume of around 200 billion euros by 2030. In the field of vehicle computers for infotainment and driver assistance systems, the company expects a market volume of 32 billion euros in 2030. Bosch’s advantage is its extensive knowledge in all vehicle domains. This means that the company is an expert not just for software but also for hardware, and develops and manufactures key components of modern vehicles, such as for drives, brakes, steering, infotainment, and automated driving, under one roof. Bosch’s approach allows maximum flexibility Bosch pursues what is known as a multi-SoC approach. The company’s new vehicle computers are designed so that the required SoCs can come from different chip manufacturers. Therefore, depending on the customer’s wishes, Bosch can use exactly the SoC that is requested. “Our software runs on chips from different manufacturers. This allows software and hardware to be decoupled from each other,” says Heyn. Bosch is one of the few companies that can develop a centralized electronic architecture from start to finish and has mastered the interplay of automotive electronics, software, and the cloud. New features, such as for driver assistance, are simply and easily sent to the car through over-the-air updates. This provides drivers with a personalized digital driving experience – even long after purchasing the car. Presskit #BoschCES 2024 Event #BoschCES 2024

Connected mobility
German industry proposes new development standard for safe automated driving

21.11.2023

Press release

Automated mobility

German industry proposes new development standard for safe automated driving

Stuttgart, Germany – Four years ago, the German automotive industry joined forces with 21 partners in a project to develop the world’s first structures for the verification of safety standards for automated vehicles in an urban environment. The results of the joint Verification and Validation Methods (VVM) project are now available. The findings of the pre-competitive research project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and initiated by the VDA flagship initiative autonomous and connected driving, will be discussed in detail at the final presentation at the Carl Benz Arena in Stuttgart today.The higher the level of automated driving and the more complex a system’s area of application, the more factors need to be taken into account during development. The first SAE Level 3 systems for freeway driving and an SAE Level 4 system for driverless parking have already been approved. Expanding the use of these systems to other applications – such as urban traffic – means that the vehicle and system become much more complex and subject to far stricter requirements. This explains the need for suitable verification and validation methods, which was the focus of the VVM project’s efforts. The challenge of urban traffic “Pedestrians, cyclists, motorized two-wheelers, intersections with limited visibility: one of the biggest challenges for automated driving systems is coping with traffic in an urban environment, which is characterized by a huge volume of road users, traffic light systems, traffic signs, and vehicles,” says Roland Galbas from Bosch, the coordinator of the VVM consortium project. “For future vehicles to be able to handle even extremely rare scenarios, they will need comprehensible structures and processes that not only enable the safe operation of a system in exceptional situations, but can also verify that maneuvering is done safely.” “The essence of the VVM research project is to verify that automated driving functions react safely and reliably, and that they also benefit customers in terms of precision and quality,” says Dr. Mark Schiementz from BMW, the co-coordinator of the project. “In addition to compliance with regulations, the guiding principle behind the German automotive industry’s work is not only to get technological progress onto the roads as quickly as possible, but also to provide safe vehicles and systems that can be relied on at all times. And this reliability starts right from the development of these systems.” Approval for road use requires verifiable safety Right from the very beginning of the design and development of automated driving functions, safety is the overriding consideration. And safety functions must be verified before a vehicle can be approved and certified for use in road traffic. To be able to provide this verification, the 21 project partners have jointly developed a model comprising a suite of procedures, methods, and tools. This allows a “security argumentation” to be employed to verify that the system is safe to use. To develop the methodology for this model, the partners worked together in several subprojects. If it were applied industry-wide, the defined model would provide the basis for verifying the safety of automated vehicles. “The models developed here make it possible for the first time to provide all automakers with the same structures for the verification and validation of automated driving systems in urban areas. This may then also lead to industry-wide standards that could make road traffic even safer for all road users,” explains Dr. Helmut Schittenhelm, project coordinator at Mercedes-Benz. Technology pioneer from Germany The VVM project’s methodological approach is the world’s first standard to also take industrial processes into account, once again underscoring the German automotive industry’s pioneering role in automated driving. The world’s first regulation for fully automated driving (SAE Level 4) came into force in 2021, when Germany enacted a law to that effect. In 2022, a corresponding regulation outlining the technical details was passed to allow such vehicles to be registered and operated on German roads. These latest developments are yet another example of how the German automotive industry is tackling the complexity of automated driving and making it more manageable. At the end of its project term, and building on the results of its Pegasus and SetLevel predecessor projects, VVM now delivers the world’s first consistent methodical approach to safety for automated driving in an urban environment, enabling industry-wide collaboration and value creation. The scenario-based safety verification approach pursued in the project could help to set global standards once it has been approved by the authorities. VVM has created a reference system for the industry that is relevant for the future, closes a methodological gap for practical validation, and secures the pioneering role of German industry in international competition on automated driving.

Automated mobility
How connectivity can make city traffic safer and more efficient

26.09.2023

Press release

Automated mobility

How connectivity can make city traffic safer and more efficient

Stuttgart, Germany – The digital transformation, increasing urbanization and automation, as well as the need for greater energy efficiency and climate action are tough challenges currently facing the mobility sector. In the three-year LUKAS research project, Bosch, InMach, IT-Designers, Mercedes-Benz, Nokia, Ulm University, and the University of Duisburg-Essen are researching how to improve traffic efficiency and safety in future mixed traffic scenarios of urban traffic environments. LUKAS is the abbreviation of the German name "Lokales Umfeldmodell für das kooperative, automatisierte Fahren in komplexen Verkehrssituationen” (local environment model for cooperative automated driving in complex traffic situations). Reliable communication between automated and non-automated traffic participants as well as within the infrastructure plays a key role here. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) with 5.2 million euros as part of its program for new vehicle and systems technology.Using data from the local environment for more safety and efficiency To increase traffic efficiency and safety in future mixed traffic scenarios of urban traffic environments, the LUKAS research project uses all the information available within the local environment. This includes, for example, information from infrastructure sensors, connected cars and commercial vehicles, and mobile devices such as smartphones used by pedestrians or cyclists. This concept provides anonymized data from traffic participants and stationary objects, including values such as position, extent, and possibly the travel speed and direction of movement. The preprocessed sensor information is relayed to an edge server, which is directly connected to the 5G network near the junction and provides data transmission with minimal delay times. A fusion algorithm on the edge server is able to create a comprehensive model of the local surroundings and use this as the basis to plan maneuvers for connected traffic participants. Object information from the server's environment model is fed back to the road users. This expands their overview to include areas that they cannot detect themselves. "The edge server uses methods of artificial intelligence (AI), among others, to calculate an optimized, cooperative maneuver and then sends instructions to the connected participants. This approach makes it possible to increase the overall energy efficiency of a traffic scenario and the safety of traffic participants, especially those who are vulnerable...explains Dr. Rüdiger Walter Henn, head of the LUKAS project at Bosch, the consortium leader. LUKAS pilot installation in Ulm-Lehr To run the tests, which took place in a public area in the suburb of Ulm-Lehr, the consortium used a pilot installation supported by the city of Ulm and operated by Ulm University. The selected area contains a junction with a right-of-way street turning off and a side street entering. The buildings there obscure the right-of-way, which makes this street situation particularly interesting for real traffic scenarios. "This installation gives us excellent opportunities to use real traffic situations to test the approaches we have researched and developed, so we can very quickly draw conclusions about their suitability for practical use," explains Dr. Michael Buchholz, who heads the Electric Mobility and Connected Driving/Connected Infrastructure research groups at the Institute of Measurement, Control and Microtechnology at Ulm University and is responsible for the pilot installation. The lampposts in the vicinity of the junction are equipped with video, lidar, and radar sensors to detect and classify the flowing traffic. The object information is sent to the edge server via a 5G network from the partner Nokia. Due to data protection reasons, persons and vehicles are not able to be identified. The edge server hosts the global environment model, several evaluated variations of cooperative maneuver planning, and a warning module for pedestrians and cyclists. Connectivity makes travel safer and more efficient To depict cooperative use cases in mixed traffic, Bosch, Mercedes-Benz, and Ulm University bring in connected, partially automated passenger cars. InMach provides a connected prototype of a street sweeper. Special smartphone apps from IT-Designers GmbH and Nokia make it possible to connect pedestrians and cyclists with the edge server. IT-Designers collects data using a video drone to assist in the simulation of the traffic scenarios, while the University of Duisburg-Essen supports the project with traffic flow simulations. All tested use cases verified the benefits of the LUKAS approach in terms of increasing traffic efficiency and safety. Simulation results from AI-based planning algorithms lead researchers to expect a significant increase in the traffic flow. Studies by the partner Mercedes-Benz show a significant reduction in fuel consumption and a decrease in the time required to pass through the junction in comparison to conventional driving. By delaying oncoming traffic to allow for cooperative behavior, participants passing stationary vehicles and vulnerable traffic participants crossing the road are protected in obscured areas. Thanks to the new technology and cooperative scenario planning, traffic participants recognize early on which driving strategy will enable them to behave safely and efficiently. The results of the LUKAS project have allowed the partners of the consortium to gain informative experience about connected, cooperative driving and incorporate this into the development of new products. The approach developed by LUKAS can help make automated driving in urban mixed traffic safer and more efficient for all traffic participants.

Automated mobility
Bosch now offers video perception as a standalone software product

24.08.2023

Press release

Automated mobility

Bosch now offers video perception as a standalone software product

Stuttgart, Germany – Monotonous driving conditions, exhausting journeys, and congestion: many drivers want to be able to do more than stay constantly focused on traffic while they are at the wheel. With increasingly automated driving functions, Bosch is creating the technological foundations that will allow drivers to take their eyes off the road for a short while. This depends crucially on reliable information about the vehicle’s surroundings. Only such information will allow a car to navigate traffic autonomously, safely, and without hassle. Video perception of the vehicle’s surroundings will play an important role in the move from assisted to automated driving and parking. In this context, Bosch not only offers a combined package of hardware and software. Its portfolio now also includes video-perception software as a standalone product. Independently of any hardware, the Bosch software can be used on diverse SoCs (systems on chips). This gives automakers maximum flexibility. At IAA Mobility 2023, Bosch will not only be premiering its standalone video-perception software. It will also be debuting hardware-only camera heads.Software as the decisive element in automated mobility Drivers expect their vehicles to be updateable in the same way that their smartphones are. In the future, functions will be downloaded to vehicles like apps, without any need to replace hardware. “The future of mobility is software-defined. We are revamping our driver-assistance portfolio and offering our customers precisely the solution they need,” says Christoph Hartung, president of the Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division, which is also the driving force behind assisted and automated driving at Bosch. In this process, software is becoming the decisive element in the development of automotive electronic systems, and especially of driver assistance systems. Given these changes, Bosch is extending its portfolio for assisted and automated driving and parking. In the future, hardware and software components will also be marketed separately from each other. The future of mobility is software-defined. We are revamping our driver-assistance portfolio and offering our customers precisely the solution they need,...says Christoph Hartung, president of the Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division. Software for video perception In addition to radar and ultrasonic options, sensors based on video offer a further way of sensing a vehicle’s surroundings in assisted and automated driving. The image data captured by several sensors, such as the new Bosch camera heads, are processed by Bosch software and made available for advanced driver assistance functions relating to driving and parking. This opens up the possibility of functions that can enhance safety. Examples include automatic braking when driving or reversing, convenience functions such as adaptive cruise control, active lane changing, and park assist functions, and automated driving on freeways, extra-urban roads, and city streets. For the detection and classification of objects, the Bosch software relies on AI methods such as deep neural networks. When training these networks, Bosch can draw on databases from around the world, and in this way take account of country-specific and local requirements during development. From individual component to complete system from a single source “We can see a trend among customers to no longer opt for the complete package offered by a supplier, but instead to increasingly request individual components that are compatible with rival products. In this context, the call in the industry is for not just hardware to be compatible, but for software to be hardware- and operator-agnostic as well,” says Sven Lanwer, the head of the Driver Experience (ADAS) unit at Bosch. Bosch has many years of experience in developing complete camera systems for driver assistance, and is also well familiar with the development of application-specific software and with software integration. This combination of hardware and software expertise is one of Bosch’s great strengths. The company will continue to develop new, intelligent sensors with embedded software. Bosch customers will also be able to put together their own individual, modular, and scalable solutions by combining camera heads and the ADAS integration platform, Bosch’s high-performance computer for the ADAS domain. One-stop shop for hardware and software expertise Whether sensors, vehicle computers, or software, Bosch develops and manufactures the key components of modern vehicles under one roof. This includes the more than 250 million control units it makes each year, which are also equipped with its own software. But Bosch is also proficient in another field, one that is becoming increasingly important: the integration of software from various sources and from the collaboration of the automotive and IT industries. Bosch also has this integrative expertise. Press kit IAA 2023 Eventpage IAA 2023

Automated mobility
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