523 Auto News

By Lynn Gayowski

2015 has just started and the QNX auto team is already off to the races. It was only last month at CES that the digital mirrors in our 2015 technology concept car were selected as a finalist for Engadget’s Best of CES Awards, in the category for best automotive tech. Now we’re excited to share some other big, award-related news. Drum roll, please… the QNX-powered Audi virtual cockpit in the 2015 Audi TT has been shortlisted for Mobile World Congress’ prestigious Global Mobile Awards, in the category for best mobile innovation for automotive!

The 2015 Audi TT features a one-of-a-kind, innovative, and just plain awesome, instrument cluster — the Audi virtual cockpit — powered by the QNX operating system. With the Audi virtual cockpit, everything is in view, directly in front of the driver. All the functions of a conventional instrument cluster and a center-mounted head unit are blended into a single, highly convenient, 12.3" display. This approach allows users to interact with their music, navigation, and vehicle information in a simple, streamlined fashion. As you may recall, the QNX-powered Audi virtual cockpit also took home first place in CTIA’s Hot for the Holidays Awards late last year.

Props also to our BlackBerry colleagues, who received 2 nominations themselves for the Global Mobile Awards: BlackBerry Blend in the best mobile service or app for consumers category, and Blackberry for BBM Protected in the best security/anti-fraud product or solution category.

The winners will be announced on March 3 at the Global Mobile Awards ceremony at Mobile World Congress. We can’t wait to hit Barcelona! In the meantime, check out the video below to see the Audi virtual cockpit in action.

If you haven’t, I bet you will. Phantom Intelligence is a startup that is looking to revolutionize LiDAR for automotive. I hadn’t heard of them either until QNX and Phantom Intelligence found themselves involved in a university project in 2014. They had some cool technology and are just all-around good guys, so we started to explore how we could work together at CES 2015. One thing led to another and their technology was ultimately featured in both the QNX reference vehicle and the new QNX technology concept car.

I knew little about LiDAR at the beginning of the partnership. But as I started to ramp up my knowledge I learned that LiDAR can provide valuable sensor input into ADAS systems. Problem is, LiDAR solutions are big, expensive, and have not, for the most part, provided the kind of sensitivity and performance that automakers look for.

Phantom Intelligence is looking to change all this with small, cost-effective LiDAR systems that can detect not just metal, but also people (handy if you are crossing the street and left your Tin Man costume at home) and that are impervious to inclement weather. As a frequent pedestrian this is all music to my ears.

I am still in no way qualified to offer an intelligent opinion on the pros and cons of competing LiDAR technology so I’m just going on the positive feedback I heard from customers and other suppliers into the ADAS space at CES. Phantom turned out to be one of the surprise hits this year and they are just getting started. That’s why I think you will be hear more about them soon.


Both QNX vehicles showcased at CES 2015 use a LiDAR system from Phantom Intelligence to detect obstacles on the road ahead.

Driver error is the #1 problem on our roads — and has been since 1869. In August of that year, a scientist named Mary Ward became the first person to die in an automobile accident, after being thrown from a steam-powered car. Driver error was a factor in Mary’s death and, 145 years later, it remains a problem, contributing to roughly 90% of motor vehicle crashes.

Can ADAS systems mitigate driver error and reduce traffic deaths? The evidence suggests that, yes, they help prevent accidents. That said, ADAS systems can themselves cause harm, if they malfunction. Imagine, for example, an adaptive cruise control system that underestimates the distance of a car up ahead. Which raises the question: how can you trust the safety claims for an ADAS system? And how do you establish that the evidence for those claims is sufficient?

Enter ISO 26262. This standard, introduced in 2011, provides a comprehensive framework for validating the functional safety claims of ADAS systems, digital instrument clusters, and other electrical or electronic systems in production passenger vehicles.

ISO 26262 isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a rigorous, 10-part standard that recommends tools, techniques, and methodologies for the entire development cycle, from specification to decommissioning. In fact, to develop a deep understanding of 26262 you must first become versed in another standard, IEC 61508, which forms the basis of 26262.

ISO 26262 starts from the premise that no system is 100% safe. Consequently, the system designer must perform a hazard and risk analysis to identify the safety requirements and residual risks of the system being developed. The outcome of that analysis determines the Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) of the system, as defined by 26262. ASILs range from A to D, where A represents the lowest degree of hazard and D, the highest. The higher the ASIL, the greater the degree of rigor that must be applied to assure the system avoids residual risk.

Having determined the risks (and the ASIL) , the system designer selects an appropriate architecture. The designer must also validate that architecture, using tools and techniques that 26262 either recommends or highly recommends. If the designer believes that a recommended tool or technique isn’t appropriate to the project, he or she must provide a solid rationale for the decision, and must justify why the technique actually used is as good or better than that recommended by 26262.

The designer must also prepare a safety case. True to its name, this document presents the case that the system is sufficiently safe for its intended application and environment. It comprises three main components: 1) a clear statement of what is claimed about the system, 2) the argument that the claim has been met, and 3) the evidence that supports the argument. The safety case should convince not only the 26262 auditor, but also the entire development team, the company’s executives, and, of course, the customer. Of course, no system is safe unless it is deployed and used correctly, so the system designer must also produce a safety manual that sets the constraints within which the product must be deployed.

Achieving 26262 compliance is a major undertaking. That said, any conscientious team working on a safety-critical project would probably apply most of the recommended techniques. The standard was created to ensure that safety isn’t treated as an afterthought during final testing, but as a matter of due diligence in every stage of development.

If you’re a system designer or implementer, where do you start? I would suggest “A Developer’s View of ISO 26262”, an article recently authored by my colleague Chris Hobbs and published in EE Times Automotive Europe. The article provides an introduction to the standard, based on experience of certifying software to ISO 26262, and covers key topics such as ASILs, recommended verification tools and techniques, the safety case, and confidence from use.

I also have two whitepapers that may prove useful: Architectures for ISO 26262 systems with multiple ASIL requirements, written by my colleague Yi Zheng, and Protecting software components from interference in an ISO 26262 system, written by Chris Hobbs and Yi Zheng.

CES was just 15 minutes from closing when I managed to slip away from the very busy QNX booth to try out an F1 simulator. Three screens, 6 degrees of freedom, and surround sound came together for the most exciting simulated driving experience I have ever had. I was literally shaking when they dragged me out of the driver’s seat (I didn’t want to stop :-). Mind you, at around $80K for the system, it seems unlikely I will ever own one.

The experience got me thinking about the types of vehicles currently in simulation or in the lab that I fully expect to drive in my lifetime: cars that are virtually impossible to crash, cars that make it painless to travel long distances, and, ultimately, cars that worry about traffic jams so I can read a book.

Re-incarnated: The QNX reference vehicle.

QNX Software Systems had a very popular simulator of its own at CES this year. You may have seen some details on it already but to recap, it is a new incarnation of our trusty QNX reference vehicle, extended to demonstrate ADAS capabilities. We parked it in front of a 12 foot display and used video footage captured on California’s fabled Highway 1 to provide the closest thing to real-world driving we could create.

The resulting virtual drive showcased the capabilities not only of QNX technology, but of our ecosystem as well. Using the video footage, we provided camera inputs to Itseez’ computer vision algorithms to demonstrate a working example of lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition. By capturing GPS data synchronized with the video footage, and feeding the result through Elektrobit’s Electronic Horizon Solution, we were able to generate curve speed warnings. All this was running on automotive-grade Jacinto 6 silicon from Texas Instruments. LiDAR technology from Phantom Intelligence rounded out the offering by providing collision feedback to the driver.

The lane departure and curve speed warnings in action. Screen-grab from video by Embedded Computing Design.

Meeting the challenge
While at CES, I also had the opportunity to meet with companies that are working to make advanced ADAS systems commercially viable. Phantom Intelligence is one example but I was also introduced to companies that can provide thermal imaging systems and near-infrared cameras at a fraction of what these technologies cost today.

These are all examples of how the industry is rising up to meet the challenge of safer, more autonomous vehicles at a price point that allows for widespread adoption in the foreseeable future. Amazing stuff, really — we are finally entering the era of the Jetsons.

By the way, I can’t remember what booth I was in when I drove the simulator. But I’m willing to bet that the people who experienced the Jeep at CES will remember they were in the QNX booth, seeing technology from QNX and its key partners in this exciting new world.

Have you ever checked out a product review on Tom’s Guide? If so, you’re not alone. Every month, this website attracts more than 2.5 million unique visitors — that’s equivalent to the population of Toronto, the largest city in Canada.

The folks at Tom’s Guide test and review everything from drones to 3D printers. They love technology. So perhaps it’s no surprise that they took a shine to the QNX technology concept car. In fact, they liked it so much, they awarded it the Tom’s Guide CES 2015 Award, in the car tech category.

To quote Sam Rutherford of Tom’s Guide, “After my time with QNX’s platform, I was left with the impression there’s finally a company that just “gets it” when it comes to the technology in cars. The company has learned from the success of modern mobile devices and brought that knowledge to the auto world…”.

I think I like this Sam guy.

Engadget was also impressed...

A forward-looking approach to seeing behind you.

The Tom’s Guide award is the second honor QNX picked up at CES. We were also shortlisted for an Engadget Best of CES award, for the digital rear- and side-view mirrors on the QNX technology concept car.

If you haven’t seen the mirrors in action, they offer a complete view of the scene behind and to the sides of the vehicle — goodbye to the blind spots associated with conventional reflective mirrors. Better yet, the side-view digital mirrors have the smarts to detect cars, bicycles, and other objects, and they will display an alert if an object is too close when the driver signals a lane change.

In addition to the digital mirrors, the QNX technology concept car integrates several other ADAS features, including speed recommendations, forward-collision warnings, and intelligent parking assist. Learn more here.

Lynn Gayowski

To quote the timeless lyrics of Britney Spears, “You want a Maserati? You better work.” This is exactly what the QNX team did to get our 2015 technology concept car ready for this year’s CES. And we had the cameras rolling throughout the build process.

The video below not only gives a behind the scenes look at the making of our latest technology concept car based on a Maserati Quattroporte GTS, but it features team members talking about the technology behind the car and what QNX brings to the table (or garage in this case) to enable a customized car in mere months.

Yes, the QNX CAR Platform has cool features and amazing reliability. But another draw for our customers is the platform’s pre-integrated partner technologies. The platform gets silicon, apps, and services working together so OEMs don’t have to solve this problem for themselves. It makes development time shorter and helps the focus to stay on branding the user experience. As Alex — one of the software engineers interviewed — mentions, after seeing what we did in the Maserati, “Just imagine what our customers can do!”

We targeted an integrated driving experience for this vehicle and I think this focus is evident in the finished product. The user interface and ADAS features are intuitive, and let’s be real, gorgeous. Check out this video that summarizes the making of the 2015 QNX technology concept car:



You’ll see many members of the concept team working hard throughout this video, but a shout out as well to all of the developers who contributed to the QNX CAR Platform, QNX operating system, and acoustics technologies that made this amazing vehicle possible. Congratulations to all of you for a job well done!

By Lynn Gayowski

*Fist pump!* The accolades from CES just keep coming. I'm excited to share the news that the digital mirrors implemented in our 2015 QNX technology concept car have been selected by Engadget as a finalist for their Best of CES Awards 2015, in the Best Automotive Technology category!

With advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) influential in the design of this year's QNX vehicle, replacing the mirrors on the Maserati with digital screens to warn of possible collisions and enhance visibility for the driver was a natural choice.

Not only do the side-view screens eliminate blind spots, they also give a red warning overlay if an obstacle is in the way when making a lane change. If the coast is clear, the overlay is green.

The rear-view display is a wide-angle view behind the car that provides the driver with an expanded picture that's larger than what you'd see with a typical mirror.

Powered by the reliable QNX OS, these digital mirrors could be a feature that helps drivers of the future avoid accidents.

The rear- and side-view video displays in the 2015 QNX technology concept car based on a Maserati Quattroporte GTS offer a complete view behind and to the sides of the vehicle, eliminating blind spots.

If you're attending CES, check out the digital mirrors and the many other ADAS and infotainment demos in the QNX booth: North Hall, Booth 2231.