In the process of promoting the implementation of the “2+4” China strategy, BMW Group has been carrying out in-depth localization innovation incubation projects. Through systematic selection and incubation cooperation, BMW provides Chinese start-ups with a top-level development platform and first-class global resources in the automotive industry, helping these young Chinese companies combine advanced innovative technologies with the future development needs of the automotive industry to boost innovation Commercial application of technology. On September 6, BMW showcased its latest achievements in incubating Chinese start-ups in China this year at the BMW Brand Experience Center in Shanghai.
Mr. Gao Le, President and CEO of BMW Group Greater China, said: “Innovation is the key to China’s high-quality development, and it is also the focus of China’s current development. China has many world-class technology companies and a large number of passionate young technology entrepreneurs. The BMW Group is committed to combining its expertise with China’s goals in smart cities and smart transportation, and cooperating with outstanding Chinese technology companies to lead industry changes and promote future mobility development.”
Since BMW launched the innovation incubation project in China, the participating companies include start-ups that have been in business for less than two years, as well as unicorns in the domestic artificial intelligence industry such as SenseTime and Horizon. Their display results involve human-computer interaction, visual recognition, autonomous driving, digital marketing, intelligent production and other fields.
On the day of the event, among the solutions displayed by Tashan Technology, intelligent sensing is being deepened as a key technology of the intelligent cockpit. The company designs smart spatial sensors that can be integrated under materials such as leather, wood and glass and given touch functionality. The four-layer sensing technology jointly developed by BMW and Tashan Technology uses the seat backrest as the medium, which can respond to the user’s gesture wake-up and operation commands such as suspension, multi-finger sliding touch, and press, which greatly enhances the people-oriented user experience. On the BMW iNEXT concept car that was publicly displayed last year, BMW used the “Shy Tech” invisible innovative technology to perform multiple functional operations on wooden or fabric surfaces. The technology displayed on the day of the event can not help but make people think about the future human-computer interaction experience in the car.
The holographic human-computer interaction technology that often appears in science fiction movies also appeared in this exhibition. The vehicle-mounted 3D holographic system solution jointly launched by BMW and Yanshi Technology can realize suspended imaging in the air and air touch interaction, and support new interactive applications such as holographic control and holographic entertainment.
In addition, SenseTime demonstrated a smart cabin solution based on computer vision technology. With powerful background AI technology, this solution can realize a series of potential functions with only one infrared camera, such as gesture recognition, fatigue detection, distraction detection, eye tracking, driver’s dangerous behavior recognition, etc., which greatly improves human-computer interaction It also helps to improve driving safety.
The tide of “Industry 4.0” is changing the global industrial field, and BMW has already “followed the wind” and actively explored new technologies to further improve operational accuracy and production efficiency, and improve flexible and flexible production. At this event, Mech-Mind Robotics brought an intelligent solution for industrial robots that combines artificial intelligence and 3D imaging, which is expected to save 60%-80% of hardware costs.
In July this year, BMW announced a cooperation with China Unicom on 5G mobile network applications to drive all data-based businesses such as autonomous driving and in-vehicle interconnection into a new stage of development. At the event site, BMW used China Unicom’s 5G real commercial network environment in Shanghai to demonstrate the remote control function of autonomous driving in the 5G environment for the first time. This function helps to provide a humanized service for on-demand travel in autonomous driving mode, and can provide a higher level of safety and security in emergency situations.
“The automotive industry is facing a major transformation driven by technological progress. In the process of coping with industrial upgrading and industry transformation, we need an open mind and mentality. This is why we have created an ‘open innovation’ circle of friends in China to promote industry transformation We hope to cooperate and innovate with companies from all walks of life, from mature large companies to high-potential start-up companies, and together incubate the latest innovations.” Mr. Gao Le, President and CEO of BMW Group Greater China, said.
BMW has always adhered to the concept of open innovation. As early as 2015, BMW established the “BMW Startup Garage” around the world. Its main function is to find high-potential startups and match their solutions with the needs of BMW’s business units; market, and a bridge portal to help BMW’s business segments get in touch with cutting-edge technology.
In four years, more than 60 start-up companies participated in the “BMW Start-up Garage” and successfully “graduated” from the program. More than 50% of the start-up companies continued to achieve further cooperation with different business departments of BMW after the project ended. Business Cooperation. Under the premise of win-win and mutually beneficial cooperation, BMW provides start-up companies with a commercialization platform to verify and optimize their solutions. An innovation ecosystem initiated by BMW is gradually taking shape.
In an era of change, the BMW Group always adheres to the concept of open and innovative cooperation, and works hand in hand with innovative forces from various fields to jointly promote the development of the automotive industry and human mobility. As an innovation leader, the BMW Group actively explores rich cooperation models and constantly expands its horizons, so as to cooperate with innovative forces at different stages in different ways to promote technological innovation and win-win development.
