Honda starts agreement with autonomous driving AI software company
Honda and Helm.ai recently announced a multi-year joint development agreement that is focused on accelerating the development of Honda’s next-generation self-driving capabilities, including its Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) platform.
Helm.ai is a provider of autonomous driving AI software geared toward highway and urban autonomy. The company plans to use its full-stack real-time software and large-scale autolabeling and generative simulation foundation models for development and validation.
This includes the use of Helma.ai Vision, a vision-based AI with real-time path prediction AI. The AI systems and offline foundation models are pre-trained on large-scale, diverse, multi-model datasets and are further adapted to meet Honda’s specifications for safe, reliable, and scalable deployment, a news release says.
Honda’s NOA system uses an end-to-end (E2E) AI architecture that controls everything from environmental perception to decision-making and vehicle actuation, the release says. As a partially automated system, it requires constant attention from the driver. It also supports both highway and complex urban driving.
The OEM plans to scale the E2E technology across its broader vehicle lineup and is developing a system that assists in operating the accelerator and steering throughout the entire route to the destination, without distinction between regular roads and highways. Mass production is planned for after 2027.
“This joint development supports Honda’s goal of realizing safe and affordable automated driving technologies for our global customers,” said Mahito Shikama, vice president of Software Defined Vehicle Business Supervisory Unit at Honda Motor, in the release. “Through our collaboration with Helm.ai, we are advancing the development of AI technologies that enhance the real-world applicability of autonomous driving systems, bringing us closer to a future with zero traffic collision fatalities.”
Vladislav Voroninski, CEO and founder of Helm.ai, added, “We look forward to entering the next phase of production development with Honda, as they expand their in-house efforts to deploy cutting-edge autonomous driving technologies in mass market vehicles. This joint development highlights our shared vision of enabling AI-powered mobility at scale.”
According to Just Auto, Honda started investing in Helm.ai in 2021. The OEM later invested in the startup’s Series B financing round, which raised $30 million to propel the development of its AI software.
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