Hyundai Mobis Invests in AI-Based Camera Tech Firm

Hyundai Mobis Co. is investing 8 billion won ($7.2 million) in StradVision Inc., a South Korean startup that specializes in deep learning-based camera image detection technology.

As a result of the partnership, Hyundai Mobis aims to develop advanced sensors for autonomous vehicle systems by 2020. The supplier claims that this would make it the first company to commercialize a camera that uses artificial intelligence to help identify and track roadside objects.

StradVision says its deep-learning software can recognize distant objects and overlapped ones. This allows the technology to distinguish between objects such as vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles, and to read road signs.

The system also can detect vehicle patterns and the posture of pedestrians to better anticipate likely upcoming moves, according to the partners.

StradVision says it has received 14 patents, most of which are registered in the U.S., since it was formed in 2014. The patents include a method for rapidly reading words embedded in images, fast parallel data processing and detection accuracy enhancement technology.