News

Nexyad and HERE improve vehicle safety with next generation, cognitive artificial intelligence

 

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• Nexyad aggregates extensive data sources in a vehicle, including HERE data, in real time to assess driving behaviour given the surrounding context
• Based on this assessment, Nexyad recommends a maximum speed and delivers a driving score
• Nexyad’s technology is already being used by Brightmile in the UK, Montbleu in India and Milla in France

July 6, 2021

Paris and Amsterdam – Nexyad, the embedded, real-time platform for aggregating on-board data, and HERE Technologies, the leading location data and technology platform, are now working together to apply cognitive AI to road safety.

On-board data

Nexyad uses cognitive AI to aggregate extensive data sources in a vehicle in real time and interprets them to assess whether a certain driving behaviour is appropriate given the surrounding context. Nexyad’s assessment, that can easily be delivered to a driver via a mobile phone, can be calculated from four sets of data only: HERE map, Global Navigation Satellite System, electronic horizon and acceleration. Nexyad’s platform is also scalable and can aggregate data from Advanced Driving Assistant Systems (ADAS) sensors to include camera, radar and lidar, weather (visibility and temperature), and traffic data.

Maximum speed recommended for a specific vehicle at a specific time

Nexyad’s real-time data aggregation platform provides two output values 20 times every second: the lack of caution of the driver and the maximum speed recommended given the road conditions – legal speed limit, road roughness, topography of the road, weather, and traffic. Nexyad bases its analysis on several thousand road accident reports, using a set of rules from modern hybrid AI which includes knowledge-based systems, deep learning, neural gas, PAC (Possibly Approximatively Correct) learning, game theory, reinforcement learning, possibility theory and fuzzy logic.

By recommending a “maximum cautious speed” based on real-time data and context-specific to every single vehicle, driver and driving environment, Nexyad’s approach goes much further than the European requirement for vehicles to be aware of the legal speed limit on each road segment (Intelligent Speed Assist). Nexyad’s safety coach called SafetyNex acts as a true co-pilot for the driver as it provides real-time guidance so as to anticipate possible emergency situations ahead that may lead to an accident. This proactive coaching activates while driving and has been demonstrated to reduce accident rates by at least 25% (Impact assessment on road accident rate reduction of NEXYAD cognitive AI SafetyNex, available on demand).

A risk score for drivers and autonomous shuttles

Nexyad provides drivers with a score that reflects the risk associated with their driving behavior. Nexyad’s platform is being used by insurers to provide recommendations to drivers and generate a risk profile. For example, Brightmile, a start-up incubated by Kamet, AXA’s insurer tech studio, is using Nexyad’s SafetyNex software as one of the parameters of their smartphone-based telematics solutions for fleets. India’s Montbleu also relies on Nexyad’s SafetyNex for its smartphone-based app ‘ROAD-Drive it Safe’. Milla, the French autonomous electric shuttle, uses SafetyNex to adapt vehicle speeds according to driving conditions and alerts the service operator (on-board and/or off-board) to take appropriate action when the level of risk is estimated too high.

Nexyad has started to integrate the HERE HD Live Map to provide OEMs with Predictive Automotive Cruise Control services whereby appropriate speeds are not only being recommended but automatically implemented. Moving forward, connected vehicles will use SafetyNex to assess the level of caution of their own driving and will be able to adopt the appropriate speed even in unknown road conditions.

“We found that the maps from HERE are accurate to the centimetre and constantly updated to the second. Every detail counts for us – the topography of the road, the exact positioning of the crossing, the location of a school. With our mission being to save lives, we cannot settle for anything less than the best,” says Gérard Yahiaoui, CEO of Nexyad.

“Nexyad’s SafetyNex software is one of a kind – not only does it provide a score for the lack of caution of the driver, based on the environment in real time, it also recommends an appropriate driving speed. This is the future for Predictive Automotive Cruise Control systems, insurers and autonomous vehicles,” says Gilles Martinelli, Director of Automotive at HERE Technologies.

Demos of Nexyad’s safety coach SafetyNext can be found here and here.

Media Contacts

Adrianne Montgobert
+49 151 72 11 67 81
adrianne.montgobert@here.com

Gerard Yahiaoui
gyahiaoui@nexyad.net

About HERE Technologies
HERE, a location data and technology platform, moves people, businesses and cities forward by harnessing the power of location. By leveraging our open platform, we empower our customers to achieve better outcomes – from helping a city manage its infrastructure or a business optimize its assets to guiding drivers to their destination safely. To learn more about HERE, please visit here.com and 360.here.com

About Nexyad
Nexyad is a Paris-based AI start-up founded by former professors and researchers of AI and applied maths, specialized in road safety. We propose a unique next generation hybrid cognitive AI that improves road safety, avoids emergency situations and road accidents, and saves lives. We help our customers integrate our technology into their valuable products for insurance & fleets, for automotive Safety Coach or Predictive ACC, and for Autonomous Vehicles « aware » of their level of caution in driving regardingcontext and able to adapt to unknown situations to keep caution level high enough.

NEXYAD CEO Interview about OASIS Project at Mobility TV

Mobility TV – OASIS, when data improves road safety

When data, artificial intelligence and vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity improve road safety, that is the goal of the OASIS project. Fruit of the cross collaboration of 3 French SMEs, each expert in their field. A collaboration made possible thanks to the NextMove competitiveness cluster. An interview conducted by Pierre de Vilno, with Marc Charlet director at NextMove, Frédéric Mathis CEO of MILLA Group, Thierry Ernst CEO of YoGoKo, and Gérard Yahiaoui CEO of Nexyad.

 

Mobility TV – OASIS, quand les data améliorent la sécurité routière

Quand les données, l’intelligence artificielle et la connectivité entre véhicules améliorent la sécurité routière, c’est l’objectif du projet OASIS. Fruit de la collaboration croisée de 3 PME françaises expertes chacune dans leur domaine. Une collaboration rendue possible grâce au pôle de compétitivité NextMove. Une interview conduite par Pierre de Vilno, avec Marc Charlet Directeur Général de NextMove, Frédéric Mathis PDG de MILLA Group, Thierry Ernst PDG de YoGoKo, et Gérard Yahiaoui PDG de Nexyad.

See the original video

NEXYAD Newsletter #32 « Safety Coach for Car Manufacturers » is available

NEXYAD Automotive-Transportation Newsletter #32, June 8th

 

Safety Coach for car manufacturers

 

Headlines :

– Nexyad CEO Editorial
– Safety Coach for car manufacturers by SafetyNex NEXYAD
– Article and Video « Oasis is a total and integrated vision of road safety » by l’Automobile l’Entreprise
– NEXYAD CEO interview on top french RADIO Europe 1
– The JournalAuto.com discussing on government ordinances regarding Autonomous Vehicle data
– The Independant News Company foodnewstoday24 takls about OASIS  Project

To read the entire Newsletter #32

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Article and Video  » Oasis is a total and integrated vision of the road safety » by L’AUTOMOBILE & L’ENTREPRISE

 

« Président de Nexyad, qui a développé une IA cognitive globale, Gérard Yahiaoui nous présente le projet Oasis qui réunit aussi Yogoko, spécialiste des télécoms appliqués à la sécurité, et Milla Group, qui développe des navettes autonomes de dernière génération. Vers la fin des accidents ? »
« Toujours aussi brillant et pédagogue, Gérard Yahiaoui nous explique les détails du projet Oasis qui s’est formé dans le cadre de Nextmove (ex Mov’eo) : « Il faut le souligner car Nextmove est pleinement dans son rôle en créant des échanges entre des entreprises aux expertises variées et en faisant naître des projets ».
CEO of Nexyad, which has developed a global cognitive AI, Gérard Yahiaoui presents the Oasis project, which also brings together Yogoko, a specialist in telecommunications applied to safety, and Milla Group, which develops the latest generation of autonomous shuttles. Towards the end of accidents?
« Always brilliant and pedagogue, Gérard Yahiaoui explains the details of Oasis project which was formed as part of Nextmove (ex Mov’eo):« This must be emphasized because Nextmove is fully in its role by creating exchanges between companies with varied expertise and by giving birth to projects.”  
Source et suite de l’article		  

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NEXYAD CEO interview on top french radio EUROPE 1

 

Trois PME françaises élaborent une voiture capable d’anticiper les risques de la route.

Trois PME françaises spécialisées dans l’automobile du future et l’intelligence artificielle cherchent à développer un programme capable d’analyser la qualité des routes, les conditions de trafic et les comportements des conducteurs afin d’anticiper la conduite à adopter et prévenir ainsi les accidents de la route.

Three French SMEs are developing a car capable of anticipating the risks on roads.

Three French SMEs specializing in the automobile of the future and Artificial Intelligence are seeking to develop a program capable of analyzing the quality of roads, traffic conditions and driver behavior in order to anticipate the behavior to be adopted and thus prevent road accidents.

  

Trois PME françaises élaborent une voiture capable d’anticiper les risques de la route (europe1.fr)

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The JournalAuto.com discussing on government ordinances regarding Autonomous Vehicle data

 

Données des véhicules : Nexyad salue les ordonnances gouvernementales

La prise de position du ministère des Transports et de la Transition écologique a été reçue favorablement par Nexyad. Gérard Yahiaoui, CEO de Nexyad, parle de la fin d’une omerta sur les données, mais appelle à plus de précisions. C’est un petit pas pour le véhicule autonome, mais c’est un grand pas pour le législateur. « Le texte ne va pas assez loin, mais il va dans le bon sens« , a commenté Gérard Yahiaoui, le fondateur et CEO de Nexyad. Interrogé sur la portée des ordonnances annoncées la semaine passée par le ministère des Transports et de la Transition écologique qui comprend un volet sur le véhicule autonome, celui qui assure par ailleurs la vice-présidence de NextMove (ex-Pôle Mov’eo) en Ile-de-France a salué la volonté de « casser l’omerta des datas » tout en précisant qu’il reste à définir un cadre clair. « Nous sommes encore limités dans l’accès aux données qui permettent de nourrir l’intelligence artificielle et ce, parfois, pour de bonnes raisons, a rappelé Gérard Yahiaoui. Mais nos concurrents américains et chinois vont vite et il faut trouver un équilibre entre l’éthique … »  

Vehicle data: Nexyad welcomes government orders

The position taken by the Ministry of Transport and Ecological Transition was favorably received by Nexyad. Gérard Yahiaoui, CEO of Nexyad, talks about the end of a data omerta, but calls for more details. This is a small step for the autonomous vehicle, but it is a big step for the legislator. “The text does not go far enough, but it goes in the right direction,” commented Gérard Yahiaoui, founder and CEO of Nexyad. Asked about the scope of the ordinances announced last week by the Ministry of Transport and Ecological Transition which includes a component on the autonomous vehicle, the one which also ensures the vice-presidency of French research cluster NextMove (ex-Pôle Mov’eo) in Ile -de-France welcomed the desire to “break the omerta of data” while specifying that a clear framework remains to be defined. « We are still limited in access to the data that feeds artificial intelligence, sometimes for good reasons, » said Gérard Yahiaoui. But our American and Chinese competitors are going fast and we have to find a balance between ethics … « 

Lire la suite sur le JournalAuto

   Gérard Yahiaoui, CEO de Nexyad et VP de NextMove Ile de France

 

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Article on AutoNews April 2021


Notre pays compte aussi quelques pépites dont Nexyad. Cette PME spécialisée dans l’IA s’est penchée sur les risques routiers et a conçu Safetynex. Ce module logiciel d’agrégation de données détecte 20 fois par seconde tout manque de prudence (appelé aussi risque de conduite) dans le comportement de conduite et en fonction du contexte de circulation. La solution rend le véhicule plus intelligent et lui apprend à anticiper certaines situations, en ralentissant par exemple de manière préventive. Pour rendre ce module encore plus performant, Nexyad a eu l’idée de rendre sa solution communicante avec des partenaires. Elle a fait appel à YoGoKo, spécialisée dans les communications V2X (réalisées entre véhicules et avec l’infrastructure routière). Les données géolocalisées viennent s’ajouter aux calculs de risques de collisions liés au comportement routier proposés par Nexyad. C’est ainsi qu’est né le projet OASIS (cOoperative Assistance System In Safe road), qui est expérimenté à bord des navettes autonomes produites par MillaGroup. L’une d’elles tourne notamment sur route ouverte à Vélizy, près de Paris. Cette combinaison d’expertises permet à un véhicule autonome de franchir un carrefour avec une faible visibilité et des priorités. La grande nouveauté, c’est que le système déployé, avec une traçabilité du risque, prend en compte le volet juridique. Il permet en effet de prouver quel a été le niveau de prudence du véhicule et s’il a bien réagi. C’est une approche originale et qui pourrait intéresser les constructeurs.

https://www.autonews.fr/hi-tech/intelligence-artificielle-il-n-y-a-pas-que-les-gafa-95601

They Talk about NEXYAD

By Laurent MEILLAUD Journalist, Automotive Expert
Read more on the Blog:
http://voituredufutur.blogspot.com/2021/03/oasis-des-aides-la-conduite-plus.html

 (Extract)
« La technologie développée au sein du partenariat s’appuie sur l’expertise de Nexyad et sa connaissance des risques routiers. SafetyNex est un module logiciel d’agrégation de données qui détecte 20 fois par seconde tout mande de prudence (appelé aussi risque de conduite) dans le comportement de conduite et en fonction du contexte de circulation. Intégrée dans une IA temps réel embarquée, la solution rend le véhicule plus intelligent et lui apprend à anticiper certaines situations, comme par exemple en ralentissant de manière préventive.

Pour rendre ce module encore plus performant, l’idée est donc d’y associer la technologie de communication Y-SMART de YoGoKo. Cela permet d’augmenter la perception de l’environnement du véhicule. YoGoKo associe les communications V2X réalisées entre véhicules et avec l’infrastructure routière aux calculs de risques de collisions liés au comportement routier proposés par Nexyad.

Le projet OASIS est expérimenté sur les navettes autonomes produites par MillaGroup (un acteur dont j’ai déjà parlé sur ce blog). Depuis 2019, les navettes MILLAPOD circulent tous les jours sur route ouverte à la vitesse de 30km/h en mode autonome.

MillaGroup, YoGoKo and Nexyad Launch OASIS Project

 

MillaGroup, YoGoKo and Nexyad launch OASIS project with driver assistance solution for everyone.

French excellence for a decisive step towards road safety autonomous vehicles.

Meudon, February 2021 – MillaGroup, Nexyad and YoGoKo launch the project in partnership OASIS (cOoperative Assistance System In Safe road), which announces new technological advances around cooperative driving assistance systems for all. The OASIS project proposes to develop and integrate new enhanced driving assistance features, based on an innovative data fusion solution. The data comes from V2X communications, driving risk assessment, and predictive collision estimation.

Although the number of accidents decreases each year in France, more than a third of fatal accidents are linked to a collision. Today, cooperative ADAS solutions integrate data related to the human factor and driver inattention. The implementation of these driving aids (ADAS) takes into account the concept of risk. In driving, 75% of the risk is linked to inappropriate driver behavior, linked to road and urban infrastructure.

The technology developed within the partnership is based on Nexyad’s expertise and knowledge of road risks. Safetynex is a data aggregation software module that detects 20 times per second any lack of caution (also called risk of driving) in driving behavior in view of the road context. Integrated into a real-time on-board AI, the solution makes the vehicle smarter and teaches it to anticipate certain situations, such as by slowing down preventively. Combining the Y-CONNECT solution with Y-SMART communication technology from YoGoKo increases the perception of the vehicle’s environment. YoGoKo combines V2X communications between vehicles and with the road infrastructure with the collision risk calculations related to road behavior offered by Nexyad.

 

The OASIS project offers a global vision of road safety, deployed in marketed vehicles. This is experienced on the autonomous shuttles produced by MillaGroup. MillaGroup is a mobility provider offering on-demand and multimodal transport solutions (for people and goods) in rural and peri-urban areas. Since 2019, MILLA POD shuttles have been running on an open road every day at a speed of 30 km/h in autonomous mode.

This combination of expertise in the area of risk management with Nexyad, connectivity with YoGoKo and vehicles deployment by MillaGroup will allow, among other things, an autonomous vehicle to drive thru an intersection with low visibility and priorities.

Thus, the OASIS project brings new perspectives in response to the needs of improving road safety and increasing the perception of the vehicle’s environment. The system deployed, with risk traceability, takes into account the legal aspect and will make it possible to dispel the debate on liability in the event of an accident:

– an assessment of driver behavior based on risk

– improved predictive ACC and AD systems « aware » of the risk they are taking, and able to prove their level of caution at all times (in response to legal and insurance questions)

– a new collision warning

– a smarter predictive AEB

Whether it is for the detection of lack of caution, dangerous situations, or emergency situations, road safety is integrated. This decompart- mentalised approach is completely innovative compared to the segmented approach by « use case » of the automobile. A system vision that must bring rapid progress in road safety, and on a larger scale respond to societal challenges.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

   

 

NEXYAD referenced by Tracxn

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https://tracxn.com/d/companies/nexyad.net

Intelligent and Predictive ACC with SafetyNex

how to make ACC automatically follow rules of the road (slightly slow down before an intersection, etc.) without long and complex development?

New developments are starting up everywhere to make ACCs smarter, which could, for example, automatically slow down slightly before an intersection, and then pick up the speed of initial cruise. The whole question is: when should the vehicle be made to slow down? crossing? turn ? school zone ? roundabout ? pedestrian zone ? pedestrian crossing? Traffic light ? stop sign ? give way ? etc.
And how to deal with the whole combination of these simple cases? (school located behind a bend with an intersection at left…).
And if we have to slow down, when? of how much ? with what speed profile?
Finally, to sum up, the idea is to make ACC follow the rules of the road so that it modulates vehicle speed exactly as a driver should do on license day.
The combination of cases is huge. NEXYAD provides an elegant, reliable, efficient and very simple solution to integrate into a vehicle, which resolves all the simple cases and all their combinations. The modification to be made to a regular  ACC system is minimal and formal proof of safety (SIL) is very simple to do.
Indeed, NEXYAD has carried out research and development in AI for more than 20 years on road safety. and now offers a real-time on-board software module called SafetyNex.
SafetyNex permanently monitors both driving behavior (speed, accel) and driving context (in particular complexity of the infrastructure, via the navigation map).

 At every moment, SafetyNex detects any mismatch between driving behavior and driving context. Such a mismatch is interpreted as a lack of caution, and the degree of lack of caution is called « Driving risk »: this is the risk taken by the driver (human, human assisted by robots, or AD system).
The higher the risk, the greater the number of emergency situations encountered by the vehicle. Conversely, the lower the risk, the lower the number of emergencies statistically encountered.
Note : do not confuse the « driving risk » as defined above with criticality (probability of interpretation of trajectories, time to collision, etc.), the two concepts coexisting in road safety systems.
For a given driving context, the driving risk depends ONLY on the speed profile of the vehicle approaching a potential singularity of infratructure.
It then becomes clear that by regulating the speed we can keep the risk of driving below a maximum accepted value. SafetyNex is then used to define the setpoint speed value Vr (at each instant) which makes it possible to guarantee that we never exceed the maximum accepted.
On the other hand, any current ACC already defines a speed setpoint Vo.
By simply taking as the new speed setpoint the smaller of these two speeds, we obtain directly and without any further development, a vehicle that slows down before intersections (for example) with the « Good » speed profile which guarantees safe driving.
This simple, validated, efficient, and quick to integrate system is currently being integrated by OEMs with support by NEXYAD.

Contact us for more details.

NEXYAD Newsletter Automotive & Transportation #30 is Available

Artificial Intelligence and Road Safety

 

Headlines :

– Nexyad CEO Editorial

– Why do we develop real time hybrid Artificial Intelligence for road safety

– OTN and Nexyad join forces in a strategic partnership for active rail safety

– SafetyNex Integrator BRIGHTMILE unveils partnership with AXA Insurance

– RoadNex Off Road Drivable Surface detection

– Hazard, Criticality, and Risk in Road Safety ?

– Gathering Computer Vision Detection with Prediction and Risk Assessment: This is what we do!

– SafetyNex: ADAS for Road Safety Using Map

To read the NEXYAD Newsletter #30

SafetyNex ADAS for Road Safety using Map

Sometimes, accurate detection both by human perception and by sensors are not enough for road safety.
Nexyad has worked on some use cases for which classical ADAS can’t help.
So we have developed SafetyNex that reads and analyses the digital map (HERE, TOMTOM, OSM, etc.)
in front of the vehicle (4-5 seconds ahead) as a bird view to anticipate singularities of the road.
Then SafetyNex allows to vocally alert drivers when they approach these singularities
(curves, intersections, pedestrian crossing, etc…) in order, for them, to reduce speed and to lower risk of accident.   Of course, it is possible to equip vehicles with Adaptative Cruise Control (ACC) to reduce speed automatically before these singularities.

As a reminder, road safety studies show that if speed is reduced of 1mph to the right moment, risk of accident is lowered of 4% to 6%.
With SafetyNex alerts, drivers have time (at least 4 seconds) to reduce speed far more than 1mph.

See 2 use cases below :

Gathering Computer Vision Detection
with Prediction and Risk Assessment

Gathering Computer Vision Detection with Prediction and Risk Assessment: this is what we do!

Because most automotive engineers have no knowledge in Road Safety, they usually do not know that 75% of driving-risk come from a driving behaviour that is inadequate to infrastructure characteristics (geometry of curve, narrowness, pattern of intersection – angles, number of input and output lanes, functionality of infrastructure – pedestrian crossing, school zone, … -, road signs – traffic light, stop sign, …). So they focus on vehicle performance in passive safety (deformation of vehicle during a crash, safety belt, air bag, etc… and active safety, vehicle detection and reflexe : emergency braking (AEB).

NEXYAD do not build cars, but as software company, we worked for 20 years with road safety experts and road infrastructure experts on 8 major scientific programs to acquire this specific knowledge. This is why our minimum viable product for road safety can run onboard on a smartphone or any other device, and reduces accident rate by 25% with only a map, accelerometers, and GNSS.
This year we can add NEXYAD computer vision modules that bring other risk factors; ObstaNex which brings interdistance and presence of vulrenables, RoadNex which brings size of drivable surface, and VisiNex which detects lacks of visibility.

This brings a complete onboard road safety platform: under deployment for telematics (fleets and insurers), ADAS, and Autonomous Vehicle. Available for cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks, trams, and soon for bicycles and other vulnerable mobility systems.

It is time to join modernity, and integrate our best technology into your valuable solutions, available everywhere…