PR94964

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., March 14, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Nexteer Automotive and Tactile Mobility have announced a software solution to

improve overall vehicle health management, safety and performance by detecting

changing road surfaces (wet, dry, icy, etc.) and evolving tire conditions (tire

stiffness, tread depth, etc.). This solution is part of the vehicle's steering

system and will enhance the connection among driver, vehicle and road through

new, advanced road and tire detection software.

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1448541/nexteer_logo_Logo.jpg

Deeper Connection to "Feel of the Road"

Road feedback plays an important safety element in giving the driver a sense of

hazardous road conditions (e.g., icy, gravely, potholes etc.). The companies'

new software can detect road surface conditions and friction under all road

conditions and speeds starting from the vehicle's parked position at zero and

up to low excitation cruising (such as highway driving without acceleration or

braking). It does this by integrating Tactile Mobility's virtual sensors and

algorithms into Nexteer's electric power steering (EPS) system and software.  

In today's vehicles with traditional EPS systems, a driver feels road feedback

through the steering wheel and software tuned specifically for the "feel of the

road."  

This new software solution leverages traditional steering feel into a new

arena, enabling the vehicle itself to "feel" the road by converting road

surface information into data that the vehicle collects, interprets and assigns

to road condition scenarios – all in real-time.

Furthermore, steering "feel" in fully autonomous vehicles takes on a unique

perspective given that the human-to-vehicle interface is removed so there is no

driver to feel the road. Nexteer and Tactile Mobility's advanced road detection

software ensures this important safety feedback by giving a "sense of feel" to

the vehicle – increasing levels of safety and redundancy across all levels of

autonomous driving.

Tire Health Management

In addition to road surface detection, the new software and virtual sensors

measure tire parameters and health, which is connected to overall vehicle

health management. For example, the software identifies and monitors tire tread

depth over time and then alerts the driver when it's time for tire replacement

– which in turn enhances safety, performance and convenience with proactive

scheduled maintenance.

"Our new road and tire detection software highlights how we're combining

Nexteer's expertise in EPS software and steering feel tuning with Tactile

Mobility's sensing technology and data analytics to improve a vehicle's

connection to the road and enable even safer, more reliable driving," said

Robin Milavec, President, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Strategy

Officer (CSO) and Executive Board Director, Nexteer Automotive. "We're excited

about the opportunities that this new software can provide to improve overall

vehicle health management, safety and convenience for drivers in all road

conditions."

Machine Learning, Connected Vehicles & Crowd Sourcing Safety-Related Data

Nexteer and Tactile Mobility's software solution has employed machine learning

and identified patterns in road surface and tire detection data from over 20

million miles of driving. Ongoing machine learning will continue to add to the

software's ability to proactively translate road and tire conditions, while

providing new significant virtual sensors and insights over time.

In addition to recognizing and translating data patterns, the software can also

share road surface data with other vehicles in real-time using cloud computing.

This vehicle-to-vehicle "crowd sourcing" of road surface information enables a

vehicle to be more aware of its environment, thus improving safety and traffic

flow.

Applications in Mobility, Insurance, Municipalities & More

Nexteer and Tactile Mobility anticipate that application of their latest

software and data analysis breakthrough to reach beyond global automotive OEMs

and into adjacent sectors such as automotive insurance carriers to support

safer driving, as well as municipalities in streamlining road maintenance and

winterization efforts enabling safer communities.

"We are excited to join forces with Nexteer, bringing our safety enhancing

sensors to more vehicles, improving road and vehicle safety for everyone," said

Shahar Bin-Nun, CEO of Tactile Mobility. "With tactile insights, drivers will

have previously unavailable information on their vehicle and the road

conditions, providing them unprecedented insights to make safer driving

choices. This partnership further enables us to address the rapidly growing

need for efficient and reliable sensors in the automotive industry and to pave

the way toward full autonomy."

About Nexteer & Tactile Mobility's Collaboration

In January 2021, Nexteer and Tactile Mobility announced their collaboration(

https://www.nexteer.com/release/nexteer-automotives-collaboration-with-tactile-mobility-complements-software-offerings-next-level-steering-feel/)

and Nexteer's investment in Tactile Mobility. This collaboration focuses on

motion control software to enable advanced software offerings that maximize

over-the-air updates and connectivity for even safer, more reliable driving.

ABOUT NEXTEER

Nexteer Automotive (HK 1316), a global leader in intuitive motion control, is a

multi-billion dollar global steering and driveline business delivering electric

and hydraulic power steering systems, steering columns, driveline systems, and

software products for motion control and vehicle health management for original

equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Nexteer's product portfolio supports mobility

mega trends including electrification, software, ADAS, automation and more for

original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The company has 26 manufacturing

plants, four technical and software centers and 13 customer service centers

strategically located in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The

company serves more than 60 customers in every major region of the world

including BMW, Ford, GM, Stellantis, Toyota and VW, as well as automakers in

India and China. www.nexteer.com

ABOUT TACTILE MOBILITY

Tactile Mobility enables the next phase of mobility development by leveraging

existing vehicle sensors and artificial intelligence to equip vehicles with the

missing sense of "touch." By generating, collecting, and processing data from

existing in-vehicle sensors about the vehicle, road, and surrounding

environment, Tactile Mobility enables OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, insurers, and

city maintenance and planning departments to offer their customers innovative

products, driving efficiency and performance as well as a safe driving

experience – depending on their specific objectives. Tactile Mobility was

co-founded in 2012 by Boaz Mizrachi, Yossi Shiri and Alex Ackerman and is

already working with several OEMs including BMW. The company is headquartered

in Haifa, Israel.

Link to Nexteer Media Center(https://www.nexteer.com/media-center/)

Link to Media Kit for Nexteer & Tactile Mobility

Announcement(https://nexteer.canto.com/v/SASK1M279O/album/P9CA2?viewIndex=0)

Source: Nexteer Automotive