Two new products from TomTom look forward to a future when autonomous tech is very much in the driver’s seat.
TomTom, the Dutch traffic, navigation and mapping specialist, has launched two new technologies for autonomous driving: AutoStream and MotionQ.
TomTom AutoStream is a map delivery service that aims to enable vehicles to build up a picture of the road ahead, by streaming the latest map data from the TomTom cloud. The concept has been launched with two initial partners: Chinese multinational technology company Baidu and Zenuity, a joint venture between Volvo Cars and Autoliv that focuses on autonomous driving.
Customers can configure AutoStream’s map data based on criteria such as sensor configuration and horizon length, according to TomTom. It can also stream different types of map data including ADAS attributes such as gradient and curvature and the TomTom HD map with RoadDNA.
Meanwhile, MotionQ is a predictive driving concept that aims to “ensure the comfort of passengers in self-driving transport”. The technology was shown in the new Rinspeed Snap, a robo-taxi prototype vehicle on display at CES.
Read more: Autonomous driving will create $7 trillion “passenger economy”, says Intel
Teaming up with Qualcomm
TomTom has also announced a partnership with semiconductor and telecoms equipment provider Qualcomm. The two companies are working together to update location-based technology for autonomous driving. They are combining TomTom HD Map, with camera technologies and GPS data from Qualcomm’s Drive Data Platform. They say this will make the localisation technologies for connected car applications and autonomous vehicles more accurate.
“Whether you talk about smart mobility, connected cars or autonomous driving, the minimum common denominator is navigation technologies. The future of mobility relies on a mix of high-definition maps, real-time maps, advanced navigation software, and live data from vehicle sensors,” said Harold Goddijn, CEO, TomTom.
“That’s why this year we’ve made key introductions to drive this future, with the launch of TomTom AutoStream, TomTom MotionQ, and important partnerships with the likes of Baidu and Zenuity,” he added.
TomTom, which is well-known for its consumer navigation products, has a number of enterprise products in its portfolio too including cloud-based fleet management technology.
In October, fleet management company LeasePlan said it would offer TomTom’s fleet management technology to its corporate customers in a bid to improve performance by providing real-time data on key fleet metrics.