Share

  • Pinterest

The coming Volkswagen I.D. Buzz microbus will be able to recognize your face as you approach it and set up the interior just the way you like it, thanks to the company’s first use of Nvidia’s artificial intelligence, it was announced at CES yesterday.

“In just a few years, every new vehicle should have AI assistants for voice, gesture and facial recognition as well as augmented reality,” said Jensen Huang, ceo of chipmaker Nvidia, which will power AI on the microbus. “Working with Volkswagen, we are creating a new generation of cars that are safer, more enjoyable to ride in than anything that has come before, and accessible to everyone.”

Last year Nvidia revealed its Xavier processor, a new chip that can power various AI features, including the Drive AV function that will allow self-driving cars. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show Nvidia partnered with Volkswagen to introduce new features called Drive IX and Drive AR.

Are electric-modular vehicles with interchangeable forms the future of automobiles?

Volkswagen is calling one suite of features offered by Drive IX “Intelligent Co-Pilot,” which offers facial recognition that remembers your mug and unlocks the car for you as you approach. It will also remember what language you speak and set the voice recognition to match. Drive IX can also provide driver alerts for bicycles, gesture recognition for user controls and gaze tracking to combat driver distraction. It’ll even set up the seat just the way you like it.

Drive AR will offer augmented reality, which will enhance safety by highlighting various information for the driver.

The systems can be updated throughout the life of the vehicle via software updates, and can gain new capabilities as further developments are made in autonomous driving, Volkswagen said. Thanks to what is known as deep learning, cars will be able to assess situations and analyze the behavior of other drivers on the road, enabling your smart car to make the right decisions.

“Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the car,” said Volkswagen CEO Dr. Herbert Diess. “Autonomous driving, zero tailpipe emission mobility and digital networking are virtually impossible without advances in AI and deep learning. Combining the imagination of Volkswagen with NVIDIA, the leader in AI technology, enables us to take a big step into the future.”