German-Chinese cooperation
Mercedes and Momenta launch AI-based driving assistance system
Complex environments and challenging scenarios in large cities - the training data for the driver assistance system comes entirely from Chinese roads.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz and Momenta have announced the launch of a jointly developed intelligent driving assistance system based on Momenta's Flywheel Big Model. The system is set to be used for the first time this autumn in the all-electric CLA.
The system, specifically tailored to the complex traffic and road conditions in China, is designed to offer driver assistance on motorways, urban roads, and during parking - from entering to exiting a parking space. It has been jointly optimised by Chinese and German engineering teams and is set to be gradually integrated into more and more Mercedes models in the future. According to Momenta, it combines the standard of Mercedes-Benz driving dynamics with Momenta's end-to-end AI model technology.
Training data from Chinese roads
“With the 'Mercedes-Benz standards', we continuously strengthen our own R&D capabilities and actively deepen collaboration with leading Chinese technology companies,” said Drummond Jacoy, senior executive vice president of the Mercedes-Benz Group China and head of Mercedes-Benz China research, development, and procurement.
The Stuttgart-based company was the first international car manufacturer to invest in the Chinese technology company in 2017. Its CEO, Xudong Cao, sees the German OEM as “the benchmark for luxury in the automotive industry”. Driven by Momenta's reinforcement learning-based flywheel model, the system is continuously evolving in a data-driven manner.
All training data comes from Chinese roads and, according to Momenta, has been enriched with extensive input from experienced drivers to meet the requirements of Chinese customers.
How was the system tested?
The tests were conducted according to Mercedes-Benz standards and included large-scale road trials, simulations, and a multi-stage, cross-departmental validation regarding research and development, integration, product development, and quality assurance.
Hundreds of vehicles were tested on heavily trafficked routes, in complex environments, and challenging scenarios in major Chinese cities. Simultaneously, simulation platforms ran around the clock, covering hundreds of millions of kilometres, including real weather data such as fog or heavy rain and sudden, complex traffic situations.
For the new all-electric CLA, according to Momenta, the interaction of the powertrain, chassis, and driver assistance system was repeatedly fine-tuned to optimise the HMI experience. It is said that the collaboration between the two companies has significantly shortened the development-to-production cycle.
This article was first published
at automotiveit.eu
