LAS VEGAS: Seeing Machines, an industry leader in AI-powered driver monitoring system (DMS) technology, has launched a variant of its FOVIO Driver Monitoring (FOVIO) Chip solution which has been developed to specifically address the European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) requirements for driver drowsiness and distraction detection to achieve safety ratings from 2022.

The Seeing Machines FOVIO Chip solution was introduced by the Company in 2018 offering its industry leading DMS technology on a fully scalable platform, with the ability to leverage the complete range of DMS features on an optimized SoC (System on Chip). Three of the Seeing Machines ongoing automotive programs are currently being delivered via this platform.

The newest variant of the FOVIO Chip solution, optimized for basic Euro NCAP systems with the flexibility to support the most advanced DMS requirements, now represents the highest performing, smallest and lowest cost, driver monitoring solution on the market.  This solution is further enabled through Seeing Machines’ ongoing innovations in highly optimized embedded neural inference processing for FOVIO-enabled versions of Xilinx Automotive Zynq-7000 SoCs.

SVP of Automotive, Nick DiFiore commented: “Driver monitoring plays a key role in next-generation NCAP requirements and safe assisted driving. Seeing Machines has industry-proven automotive DMS technology that provides true safety outcomes. While NCAP is always associated with the need for low cost, many in the industry are also realizing that performance and effectiveness cannot be sacrificed to reach the goals of improved driver safety.”

“Our experienced and capable research and engineering teams are demonstrating that ‘no compromise’ low-cost solutions are possible, as we realize more enhanced AI capabilities on even lower cost industry standard devices though our ongoing silicon partnership with Xilinx.   This is a great outcome as we continue to focus on supporting our customers and partners in the automotive industry with a DMS solution that is sensibly priced, scalable, simple to integrate in relatively short timeframes, and continues to deliver on the Seeing Machines performance promise.”

DMS technology is set to become standard in most modern passenger cars for improved driver and semi-automated driving safety given Euro NCAP’s direction, with reinforcement by the European Commission, and more recently, the United States National Transportation Safety Board, in an effort to curb driver drowsiness and distraction and improve safety for pedestrians and passengers alike.