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LAS VEGAS
INNOVATORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD GATHERED AT LAS VEGAS FOR CES 2019 TO SHARE THEIR MEGATREND CONTRIBUTIONS, BUT IT WAS DEVELOPMENTS IN ROAD SAFETY, URBAN MOBILITY AND A FUTURISTIC LAST MILE VISION THAT STOLE THE SHOW.
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he 2019 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in January, brought innovative road transport concepts – among other brilliant ideas – to a mainstream audience. The hosts of the event, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), were adamant that keynote speaker and US Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao, was leading the Administration’s efforts to realise the promise of transportation technology and innovation (including self-driving vehicles and piloted/remotecontrol drones) while ensuring public safety. One of the most prominent road safety innovations presented at the show was the announcement of the Valeo XtraVue trailer – a system that offers driving assistance for trailer and caravan users. It uses video images captured from cameras located at the rear of both the vehicle and trailer/caravan, combining them into a single homogeneous image that renders the trailer invisible, enabling the vehicle operator to see behind what would normally be obstructed. Gilles Elmoznino, Valeo Media Relations, confirmed that the manufacturer has produced 10 million ADAS sensors between 1991 to 2015 and plan to produce another 10 billion between 2015 and 2023. “Sensor technology has changed over the years to be more precise, jumping in quality from a quarter VGA to 20 megapixels,” he says. “The Valeo sensor portfolio is the widest in the automotive industry to cover these specific applications while ensuring the necessary safety requirements. Valeo is the only company to use Scanner LIDAR in serial production.” The Valeo XtraVue Trailer is still in development with a contract with a major OEM, according to Elmoznino. He adds that the technology is not region specific
The disappearing trailer.
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in regards to market launch. Elmoznino says the XtraVue Trailer systems works with two cameras. “The standard rear camera from the vehicle and an additional one mounted on the trailer. The system also uses an image stitching controller and the standard centre stack screen, too.” The process for installing this system seems quite straightforward, with self-calibration capabilities after a few manoeuvres. Valeo stresses that this technology puts safety and convenience first, ensuring greater productivity for fleets as well. Since presenting this innovation at CES, Valeo has received a lot of positive feedback as well as interesting connections with startup enterprises. Following safety innovations, there were also demonstrations of what the last mile might look like in the near distant future. Technology company, Continental, is steadily pushing the boundaries of autonomous vehicle technology, exploring new use cases and advances every day. At
