Mapping the ecosystem of Smart Transportation

mapping ecosystem

Mapping the ecosystem of Smart Transportation

5 minutes

In Colorado, near the Denver International Airport, two developments taking shape promise to give visitors a look at the future, this summer. Plans call for the arrival of EasyMile’s Driverless Shuttles at Panasonic’s Peña Station NEXT operations hub, home to the company’s CityNOW unit, which brings its global smart city expertise to North America. These electric shuttles have already been tried out in different weather and road types, from downtown Dubai to Austin, Texas.

Panasonic is also building a connected vehicle demo center at its Peña Station hub. The center comes out of a partnership between Panasonic and the Colorado Dept. of Transportation to create the first U.S. connected transportation program in which real-time data would be shared across vehicles, infrastructure and people to improve safety and mobility. Panasonic is serving as the design architect of the program’s integrated software platform, and evaluating next-gen tech from across the globe that could support the program.

Tech that reacts faster than humans

What’s particularly interesting is the way the overall effort can serve as a live test case in evaluating important technologies in the different phases of autonomous driving. Teams are now working to determine the best way to communicate information with drivers, and eventually directly to self-driving cars. Panasonic is leading the effort to deploy Dedicated Short-Range Communications, or DSRC, technology in Colorado. Think of it as an incredibly fast, highly secure Wi-Fi network for communication between vehicles and sensors installed along the road. Eventually, when a car several ahead of you suddenly brakes, your car will immediately brake with it to avoid a crash – DSRC-based technology can react faster than any human ever could, even if the incident is beyond the driver’s visual range. The first part of the effort is an initial technology footprint on Colorado’s I-70 Mountain Corridor.

The speed of ADAS development

Researchers have been working on automated driving since at least the 1960s, and much of the technology needed to make smart roads and smart cars already exists—from infrastructure communication to multi-object detection using powerful sensors. In Japan, Panasonic has experience developing smart cities and connected transportation systems to help make roads and cars safer. Some of its latest thinking is put to the test at its ADAS driving test course in Yokohama opened to prove out emerging ideas in machine vision, radar, “surround sensors,” and other communication protocols.

Today smart infrastructure and autonomous driving are in the spotlight thanks to auto electrification, widespread connectivity and growing consumer interest. And Colorado and Yokohama are just two areas to watch. In Ann Arbor, Panasonic is part of a consortium of vehicle makers and suppliers using Mcity, part of University of Michigan’s Mobility Transformation Center. The Mcity test course and controlled environment opened to give industry and academic researchers a chance to experiment with technologies that could lead to mass-market driverless cars.

Incubating in Atlanta

Meanwhile, 700 miles due south, the Harvard Business Review labels an eight-block area in Atlanta on the edge of Georgia Tech among the “leading destinations for corporate research centers.” At the Panasonic Automotive Innovation Center in Atlanta, Panasonic engineers are working with Georgia Tech researchers and local startups to discover and validate cutting edge technologies related to energy storage, heat management, air filtering, optics, deep learning and machine vision. These projects illustrate the ways smart transportation is all about a global ecosystem built from private sector R&D, startups, government and university research.

In addition, the company is on the lookout for acquisitions and partnerships that can help advance smart transportation and ADAS. In March, it announced plans to acquire a majority stake in a Tier 1 full service auto supplier that traces its roots to a workshop of innovation in Barcelona, Spain. Today Ficosa has leadership strengths in smart mirrors and wireless antennas and ranks among the largest holders of European patents for automotive technology. Earlier this year, Panasonic also invested in Drivemode, a U.S. developer of a hands-free app for drivers, and an ability to understand driver behavior on a global scale.

Curious about ADAS and smart infrastructure? Follow this space for articles on the startup culture and the role of the consumer in autonomous driving.

Meet our experts

Scott Kirchner is the President of Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America.
Jarrett Wendt is Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company.

Driving smart vehicle development
Authors
Scott Kirchner - President of Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America
Kirchner has an engineering background and more than 30 years experience in the automotive industry.
Authors
Jarrett Wendt - Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company
Head of the CityNOW project in Denver, CO.

Disruption coming to our cities, roads and skies

panasonic-disruption-connected-worlds

Disruption coming to our cities, roads and skies

5 minutes

 

Download the study now

 

moving-forward-article-4

In a Connected World, life revolves around getting to our destinations as quickly, safely and comfortably as possible. That’s the daily challenge facing organizations in the automotive and aviation sectors, as well as government agencies that build, operate and patrol our transportation infrastructure.

In this fourth article from the Moving Forward research series, Panasonic Corporation of North America assesses how senior technology decision makers in these industries view our Connected World, the technologies they see driving us forward, and the impact these technologies will have on their future plans.

By 2025, 10 disruptive technologies are expected to generate trillions of dollars of economic impact. Our new study reveals that Connected World industries – aviation, automotive, and government agencies involved in transportation infrastructure – have already adopted five of these technologies on average. And four have risen to the top of their innovation agendas – energy storage, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and sustainable energy. Panasonic is deeply engaged in all of them.

How tech decision makers view our fast-changing world

panasonic-disruptive-technologies

panasonic-disruptive-technologies-slide2

panasonic-disruptive-technologies-slide3

Energy storage: the biggest opportunity gap

As one automaker remarked, the coming transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles (EV) will be “the biggest revolution in transportation this millennium.” And clearly, when it comes to widespread use of energy storage, the automotive sector is a pioneering leader. Overall, among Connected World industries, some 37% have adopted energy storage technologies. Another 48% are planning to invest in or adopt it soon.

Panasonic is seeing soaring demand for this technology in our own business. As a market leader in lithium ion batteries, we’ve invested heavily with global automotive partners to propel the growth of this disruptive technology.

Autonomous vehicles: strong growth in adoption expected

Connected vehicles with advanced driver-assistance systems are already entering our roadways. Built with equipment such as top view camera systems that provide a 360-degree bird’s eye view – plus sensors that detect airbag deployment, windshield wiper operation, engagement of brakes, etc. – these vehicles can transmit data about their status to other connected vehicles on the roadways and emerging intelligent roadway infrastructure.

Technology decision makers in Connected World industries (automotive, aviation, government transportation agencies) expect connected vehicles to deliver a whole host of important benefits: fewer collisions, reduced congestion, less pollution, and more connected and informed driving (and riding) experiences.

Autonomous vehicle technology builds on this connected vehicle foundation. Many tech decision makers in our Connected World industries think riding in an autonomous vehicle will be exciting, while a few admit it might terrify them. Still, two in three tech decision makers expressed an intent to adopt autonomous vehicle technology. This represents a 54% increase over current adoption of autonomous vehicle technologies.

Artificial intelligence: personalizing the mobile experience

After the cloud and mobile devices/apps/commerce, artificial intelligence is seen as the disruptive technology most critical to the future success of organizations. In fact, nine of 10 decision makers see AI as a way to personalize how they engage with their customers and predict future needs. The number one obstacle? Finding a strategic partner to develop a roadmap for integrating it.

In Colorado, Panasonic is creating a pioneering intelligent roadway system, designed to ingest two billion data points from connected vehicles each hour. Applying machine learning and predictive analytics to this massive data set, the system will enable the Colorado DOT to send personalized alerts and optimal routing suggestions to each connected vehicle on the road.

Sustainable energy: five in six have plans to invest

Two-thirds of Connected World organizations have either adopted sustainable energy or plan to do so in the near future. Only one in six has no plans to invest. Many decision makers view adopting sustainable energy, such as solar and EV, as a no-brainer: “It saves us money and is good for the earth.”

Three emerging technologies

In addition to the 10 disruptive technologies that were the primary focus of this survey, Panasonic also identified three emerging technologies that appear to hold great promise in Connected World industries:

  • Biometric: four in five organizations say they’re likely to adopt these technologies in the next three to five years, with features such as authentication enabling them to enhance security and create more personalized experiences
  • Next-generation communications: almost half believe that technologies like 5G and high-speed satellite will transform their industries by 2022
  • Advanced displays: seven in 10 plan to invest in technologies like mobile screen sharing, augmented/virtual reality and head-up displays

We’ll be exploring these emerging technologies in future trend articles.

The price of staying in business – Panasonic’s perspective

Finally, we found that five in six Connected World organizations agree that embracing disruptive technologies is essential to remaining competitive today.

Many of these organizations realize they need a strategic partner to get the most out of disruptive technologies. With experience incorporating them all into integrated business solutions, Panasonic may be the ideal partner in helping you embed these technologies in ways that can move your organization forward.

About the research

This research was commissioned by Panasonic Corporation of North America and fielded in the U.S. and Canada. The survey included 100 CTOs and other senior technology decision makers in organizations with at least 200 employees. It was completed July 2018.

Authors
Scott Kirchner - President, Panasonic Automotive Systems

 

Public safety adoption of FirstNet rises—learn to make the most of it at IACP 2018

public-safety-firstnet-panasonic

Public safety adoption of FirstNet rises—learn to make the most of it at IACP 2018

4 minutes

The recent devastation of Hurricane Florence is just the latest of what is turning out to be a terrible year for natural disasters. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, volcanic eruptions—we’ve seen them all. Natural disasters and even large events with big crowds require a large-scale emergency response and coordination of multiple first responders and other organizations for rescue, recovery and security.

Keeping people safe and saving lives requires coordination and collaboration. That’s why all 50 states and the District of Columbia have opted into FirstNet, an AT&T operated nationwide broadband network that ensures quick and effective communication, no matter where emergency responders are located. With this network, emergency communications in the form of video, data, images and text messages take priority over commercial users on the network with full reliability and security. The result is better situational awareness and higher degrees of collaboration.

Finding hardware to support FirstNet

Making the most of FirstNet requires three types of technology in addition to the broadband network itself:

  1. Secure and reliable connectivity via wireless routers for in-vehicle
  2. IoT and station connections, which consist of applications that enable everything from live-streaming video to geo-fencing, GPS positional awareness and advanced analytics
  3. The right rugged mobile computing devices

Most first responders and law enforcement personnel rely on rugged devices in the form of notebooks, tablets or handhelds because of their reliability, long battery life, resistance to extreme temperatures, dirt and moisture, and shock resistance.

Panasonic rugged devices can be a perfect fit for FirstNet. With an AT&T SIM card on a FirstNet rate plan or a FirstNet SIM card, users can get the security, priority and pre-emption features necessary for effective emergency communications. This includes:

  •  First-in-line network access during times of network congestion
  •  Auto-provisioning of the proper IMS services after SIM install
  •  Support for High Priority Access, which provides three levels of priority based on user roles
  •  National Institute of Standards and Technology compliance 

Is your Panasonic device FirstNet ready?

Panasonic's team is available to help you determine whether your Toughbook devices are FirstNet capable or FirstNet ready. Panasonic hardware is aligned with the FirstNet rollout: we integrate wireless modules in Toughbook products, submit them for carrier certification and use only approved FirstNet firmware.

In addition to the AT&T commercial LTE band, the new FirstNet-exclusive Band 14 is a high-performing spectrum the FCC has allocated to AT&T to enhance its FirstNet services and provide first responders with additional capacity. During an emergency, the Band 14 spectrum becomes available exclusively to first responders.

Panasonic is partnering with Sierra Wireless to integrate a Band 14 module into Toughbook models. And as part of the FirstNet Dealer program, Panasonic is dedicated to providing public safety personnel with the most up-to-date FirstNet capable tools and technologies.

Learn how to make the most of FirstNet at IACP 2018

Find out more about FirstNet and why Panasonic rugged mobile devices are ideal for first responders leveraging FirstNet. Stop by booths #1521 and #327 at International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference from October 7-9 to chat with our experts.

Authors
Dominick Passanante - VP of Sales, Panasonic Mobility Systems