South Korean carmaker, Hyundai Motor Group, recently announced the development of the world’s first Machine Learning based Smart Cruise Control (SCC-ML). This technology incorporates the driver’s patterns into its self-driving behaviour, creating a custom-created experience for the driver. This industry-first technology incorporates AI (Artificial Intelligence) within Hyundai’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) feature and is expected to be fitted in future Hyundai vehicles soon.
The Smart Cruise Control feature in various Hyundai cars enable an essential self-driving feature and core technology for ADAS: which maintains distance from the vehicle ahead while travelling at the speed selected by the driver. While the Smart Cruise Control – Machine Learning (SCC-ML) combines AI and SCC into a system that learns the driver’s patterns and habits on its own. Through machine learning, Smart Cruise Control autonomously drives in an identical pattern, just like the driver. This helps the driver of a vehicle feel confident while leaving the controls up to the car.
Earlier, in order to operate the Smart Cruise Control, the driver could manually adjust driving patterns, such as the distance from the vehicle ahead and the amount of acceleration, meaning this function was impossible to meticulously fine-tune the settings to accommodate the driver’s individual preferences without machine learning technology. For example, even the same driver may accelerate differently in high-speed, mid-speed and low-speed environments depending on circumstance, but detailed fine-tuning was not available. Therefore, when Smart Cruise Control was activated and the vehicle operated differently than they prefer, drivers could sense the difference, resulting in hesitation to use the technology because it made them feel anxious and uncomfortable.
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Hence, Hyundai Motor Group’s independently developed SCC-ML operates as follows:
- The sensors, such as the front camera and radar, constantly acquire driving information and send it to the centralized computer.
- The computer then extracts relevant details from the gathered information to identify the driver’s patterns.
- An artificial intelligence technology called machine learning algorithm is applied during this process.
- The driving pattern can now be categorized into three parts: distance from preceding vehicles, acceleration and responsiveness. In addition, driving conditions and speeds are considered as well.
- Considering these various conditions, SCC-ML then makes an analysis report to distinguish over 10 thousand patterns, developing a flexible Smart Cruise Control technology that can adapt to any driver’s patterns.
Also, the driving pattern information is regularly updated with sensors, reflecting the driver’s latest driving style. SCC-ML is programmed specifically to avoid learning unsafe driving patterns, increasing its reliability and safety. Apart from that, in the upcoming Highway Driving Assist system that features automatic lane change assist, SCC-ML achieves Level 2.5 self-driving, which is quite good. Commenting on this new technology, Woongjun Jang, Vice-President, Hyundai Motor Group said, “The new SCC-ML improves upon the intelligence of the previous ADAS technology to dramatically improve the practicality of semi-autonomous features. Hyundai Motor Group will continue the development efforts on innovative AI technologies to lead the industry in the field of autonomous driving.”