Tech Convergence Will Spur Demand for New ADAS Technology

NEW YORK—Automakers and suppliers are investing heavily in next-generation advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including active safety, 360-degree perception, and redundancy in perception, processing and software.

According to ABI Research, 69 percent of all new passenger vehicles will have an SAE driving automation level of 2+ or higher by the end of this decade. The technology will enable people to drive more safely, take on specific tasks on the driver’s behalf or ultimately replace drivers through the automation of the entire driving process.

“Different autonomous applications vary in features and the level of driver involvement,” says James Hodgson, smart mobility and automotive research director at ABI Research. “Some demand constant supervision, while others permit manual, visual or cognitive disengagement.

“Active safety systems offer limited support, keeping the driver fully in control,” explains Hodgson. “In contrast, driverless vehicles eliminate the need for human operators by handling all driving tasks autonomously.

“Therefore, the automotive industry should adopt a scalable approach to their active safety, semi-autonomous and fully driverless applications,” claims Hodgson. “Maximizing the re-use of components between different feature and disengagement combinations will yield many benefits to the market.

“Overall, the only feasible approach to delivering on feature-rich and unsupervised automation is to construct today’s supervised autonomous applications on an architecture that has the potential to scale by adding technologies that will replace the supervisory role that human drivers play today,” adds Hodgson.