Honda begins joint research on AI technology with Indian IITs to improve driver assistance systems and autonomous driving

Honda has announced that it has initiated joint research with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) on Honda Collaborative Intelligence (Honda CI).

Honda CI is a form of artificial intelligence (AI) from the Japanese manufacturer that “enables machines and humans to understand each other better,” Honda said, and its joint research with Indian technology institutes aims to advance the fundamental technologies of collaborative intelligence, with future applications for technologies that help reduce traffic collisions and enable autonomous driving.

The Japanese manufacturer is aiming to make mobility ubiquitous, collision-free and stress-free. It is currently conducting proof-of-concept demonstrations of CI-powered micro-vehicles in Japan, in Joso City, Ibraki Prefecture.

Honda and the IITs have set common research topics, such as ambient awareness and fostering cooperative behavior, and Honda associates and IIT professors will work with IIT students to plan, design, develop and test these technologies, which will be carried out outside the lab.

The manufacturer says this will then allow research and development to proceed with greater freedom and allow Honda to work with IITs in a more flexible environment with deeper exchange of knowledge. Through the collaboration with IITs, Honda aims to conduct verification of driver assistance systems and autonomous driving technologies in the suburbs of Delhi and Mumbai.

Specifically, due to the many variations in road systems and large traffic volumes that create complex traffic environments that are difficult for AI to predict, conducting technology verification in this environment aims to refine the basic technologies of Honda’s collaborative intelligence for future application in driver assistance technology and autonomous driving technology for many regions around the world, including India.

Honda said that by pursuing joint research programs with IIT professors and students specializing in AI and autonomous driving technology, Honda hopes to accelerate CI’s R&D activities and contribute to the development of researchers who will play a role in future AI research by providing them with practical research opportunities.

Honda’s aforementioned goal of achieving a collision-free road user society is also the goal of the Japanese manufacturer. Honda plans to bring Sensing 360 to all major markets by 2030towards the broader goal of achieving zero traffic accident fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles worldwide by 2050.

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