Snapdragon Ride Pilot: An AI-enabled automated driving system
The Snapdragon Ride Pilot has made its debut in the all-new new BMW iX3
Qualcomm and BMW have introduced the Snapdragon Ride Pilot, an automated driving system, and this AI-enabled ADAS solution uses a software stack jointly-developed by Qualcomm and BMW. The system has made its debut in the all-new BMW iX3, which is the company’s first Neue Klasse production model.
Who is Qualcomm?
To offer some perspective, Qualcomm might be better-known for its Snapdragon processors used in Android smartphones, but it has a strong foothold in automotive tech. Over 350 million vehicles make use of tech from Qualcomm, including its cloud-based services like OTA (over-the-air) updates, digital displays and instrument clusters, connected car features, and even the Snapdragon Digital Chassis which is used in the Tata Harrier EV, as well in the Maruti Suzuki e Vitara which will go on sale in India later this year. Snapdragon chipsets powered the screens, cameras and sensors enabling ADAS on the Mahindra XUV 700, while the BE 6 and XEV 9e get the newer chipsets from the company. And Qualcomm’s latest offering is the Snapdragon Ride Pilot automated driving solution.
Snapdragon Ride Pilot and how it works
Ride Pilot isn’t a software or a cloud service. It is a full-system ADAS solution that makes use of a stack architecture (a layered structure of software components) co-developed with BMW. The software stack has been engineered to allow carmakers and suppliers to build scalable options for greater flexibility, and cost savings. This means that the Ride Pilot tech is fully customisable and can be tailored (using a software development kit or SDK) for use in cars with a single camera as well those with multiple cameras and radars, for highway and urban automated driving, and for Level 2 or Level 2+ ADAS capability. The system makes use of rule-based and AI-based models for behaviour prediction and behaviour planning, to navigate a car through complex driving situations, and it can be continuously updated.
The stack is structured into multiple layers and it includes a 360-degree perception layer that makes use of the cameras for object detection, surround view, lane recognition, traffic sign interpretation, parking assistance, driver monitoring and mapping. Apart from this, the system also makes use of fish-eye cameras with their wide field of view to detect complex intersections. Ride Pilot has cybersecurity measures and multi-layered encryption built in, along with threat detection. The system is also in compliance with safety regulations such as NCAP (New Car Assessment programme) and FMVSS127 – a regulation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US which requires automatic emergency braking systems to be present in all new passenger cars. Ride Pilot has been validated in more than 60 countries.
Snapdragon Ride Pilot in the BMW iX3
The Ride Pilot ADAS tech has made its debut in the all-new BMW iX3, and thanks to it, the iX3’s automated driving capabilities include contextual lane changes and overtaking – where subtle cues from the driver, like a glance at the mirror or a nudge of the steering wheel, recognises their intent to change lanes and so on. The system also provides the capability of hands-free driving (on approved roads) and parking assistance. The iX3 is equipped with a central computer powered by Snapdragon Ride SoCs which combine the automated driving functions, and these get 20 times more computing power than the previous-gen SoCs. Additionally, the Qualcomm V2X 200 chipset present on the iX3 supports vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. With this, the iX3 will be able to “speak” with road infrastructure, other road users and pedestrians, and also be able to “see” and “hear” beyond an ADAS sensor’s line of sight – helping uncover unseen risks and thereby reducing the chance of a collision.
