The success of the automotive industry was always predicated on innovation. From its transformative impact on Americana to the ‘horsepower arms race’ of the muscle car era, technology has always played a critical role in the U.S. automobile's design, development, and manufacturing. Today’s Software developers continue to play an integral role in the evolution and modernization of the automotive industry.
Adept software specialists optimized vehicle safety by designing and incorporating key safety features, from electronically controlled anti-lock braking systems to today’s sophisticated telematics. The advent of Artificial Intelligence and its enhancement by expert software developers continues to be a key driver for a lucrative industry that seeks new avenues toward modernity.
Built to Last: AI Transforms Research & Development
Henry Ford’s creation of the modern assembly line revolutionized the automotive industry. Ford’s streamlining of manufacturing and workflow productivity is still utilized today, but the auto industry continues striving to optimize processes further while promoting innovation. Its collaboration with software developers has yielded several positive impacts on safety and performance. Still, industry officials have reported significant expenses associated with research, design, and testing with the development of new models.
Rigorous testing (especially in an agile environment) required to meet government safety and performance benchmarks has resulted in Automotive Testing Technology International reporting that vehicle prototypes can cost $250,000 to $1 million, based on several design variations. Today’s software specialists have designed and deployed Digital Twin technology. This compelling new resource is a culmination of AI, Virtual Reality, and the Internet of Things to create digital prototypes of physical objects, with highly nuanced and accurate details projecting engineering triumphs and flaws requiring reevaluation.
Software designers have fully enhanced Digital Twin technology to simulate real-time performance and ‘wear and tear’ of critical vehicle components. Automotive engineers can gain unprecedented insight into a vehicle’s performance over time through parameters customized by software designers. Additionally, testing can be isolated to search for a single compromised part, eliminating the hefty expenses of a physical prototype and the time spent by personnel examining the vehicle after concluding testing. Digital Twin is a versatile and compelling new resource that can mitigate prototype expenses and reduce time to market, enabling manufacturers to launch new products without costly delays and increase opportunities to capture market share. Digital Twin technology can facilitate a ‘zero prototype’ business strategy, allowing manufacturers to reinvest funds otherwise earmarked for prototypes.
Driving the Lucrative Auto Safety Market with AI
Vehicle safety features and options continue driving auto industry profits, with BusinessWire reporting the global automotive safety market reached a high of $13.2 billion in 2022. Software designers actively contributed to growing this lucrative market as several automotive safety features rely on software-based technology for successful deployment. The auto industry is diligently working to elevate the performance of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors to mitigate vehicular collisions and deaths.
The World Health Organization stated the U.S. suffers 46,000 deaths annually attributed to vehicular accidents, with another 4.4 million people enduring injuries directly related to auto accidents. The auto industry has utilized LiDAR sensors to offer drivers another resource to view pedestrians and other objects with highly nuanced cameras and sensors to alert drivers to object proximity actively. With The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting vehicular fatalities jumping significantly during nighttime hours, LiDAR technology can be another much-needed safety resource to mitigate this chilling statistic.
The auto industry continues collaborating with software specialists to perfect LiDAR resources, as some manufacturers have reported the system struggles with accurate nighttime detection and performance. Artificial Intelligence enhanced by software experts has elevated nighttime LiDAR capabilities, enabling more focused depictions of objects and accurate topography details to inform drivers of their surrounding environments further. The versatility of Artificial Intelligence is further demonstrated in its ability to provide officials and law enforcement with data-driven vehicular collision details.
Programmed by software developers and seamlessly integrated with existing on-board computers, AI accurately monitors and records all vehicle performance, such as rate of speed, evasive maneuvers, and location, to enable law enforcement to make data-driven conclusions about collisions and even adjust scheduled patrols to monitor areas demonstrating higher than average vehicular collision incidents as communicated through detailed analytics. Though the full optimization of LiDAR is still under construction, software specialists play a crucial role in bringing the goal of fully accurate nighttime LiDAR performance to fruition.
Collaborate and Innovate
Technology’s extensive history within the automotive industry remains well-documented in all sectors. The collaboration between software developers and automotive industry officials has had transformative impacts on the research and design of vehicles. Still, perhaps the most valuable collaboration has resulted in optimized safety enhancements. Statista reported that the U.S. automotive revenue from vehicles and the retail parts sector stands at $1.53 trillion, among the most profitable industries. The automotive industry continues its collective goals of innovating safety, design, and performance, and software specialists remain vital in bringing these ambitious goals to fruition. The advent of Artificial Intelligence and its demonstrative success amongst several industries gives software developers unprecedented opportunities to enhance and deploy cutting-edge resources to optimize vehicle safety and modernize motor city.
