This week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas saw global mapping, navigation, and traffic information business TomTom unveil a series of new services, technologies, and partnerships aimed at advancing the introduction of autonomous vehicles.
The Netherlands-based has launched two key initiatives. The first, the AutoStream, is a game-changing map delivery service for autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that enables vehicles to build a horizon for the road ahead by streaming the latest map data from the TomTom cloud. By ensuring that the map used to power advanced driving functions is always the latest, AutoStream enhances driver comfort and safety, and is designed in a flexible way, allowing partners to customize the map data stream based on criteria such as sensor configuration and horizon length. It can stream a wide variety of map data including ADAS attributes such as gradient and curvature, and TomTom’s HD Map
with RoadDNA.
The first partners to use the AutoStream technology are Chinese internet giant Baidu, which will integrate it into its Apollo autonomous driving platform, and Swedish firm Zenuity, a joint venture between Autoliv and Volvo Cars, which will use it to power the localization, perception and path planning in its ‘Connected Roadview’ autonomous driving software stack.
The second big launch was that of MotionQ. This new concept for passengers travelling in autonomous vehicles offers a set of visual clues that enables them to anticipate the vehicle’s motion, leading to a more comfortable experience. MotionQ provides intuitive overlays on the central display, communicating the vehicle’s intended motion, including turns and acceleration, as well as elements of the TomTom’s HD Map, such as road borders, lane markings, and road geometry. The system has been revealed as part of the Rinspeed Snap robotaxi concept vehicle, shown for the first time at CES.
TomTom also announced that it is working with Qualcomm to demonstrate new location technologies for autonomous driving, specifically fusing the TomTom HD Map with camera technologies and GPS data from Qualcomm’s Drive Data Platform to power highly precise and reliable localization for connected car applications and autonomous vehicles.
“Whether you talk about smart mobility, connected cars or autonomous driving, the minimum common denominator is navigation technologies,” noted Harold Goddijn, TomTom’s CEO. “The future of mobility relies on a mix of high-definition maps, real-time maps, advanced navigation software, and live data from vehicle sensors. That’s why this year we’ve made key introductions to drive this future, with the launch of AutoStream, MotionQ, and important partnerships with the likes of Baidu and Zenuity.”
