UL researcher to lead project developing prototype car cameras for enhanced road safety

A researcher at University of Limerick is to lead a new project developing prototype car cameras for enhanced road safety.

The ambitious project is designed to help to reduce road accidents by modelling advanced imaging systems for vehicles that are more responsive than the existing technology.

The research is being led by Professor Patrick Denny of Lero, who is Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Imaging at UL and an expert in automotive imaging.

Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre for Software based at UL, is to collaborate with Arm, the global semiconductor and software leader, on the innovative project.

The research project, valued at €566,000, is designed to explore new technologies that will enable cars to see and react to their surroundings faster, more intelligently and more effectively.

A four-year collaboration between Lero and Arm, the ARMADAS1 project is focused on the development of next-generation car camera systems. The project will explore the optimisation of artificial intelligence to enhance how vehicles perceive their surroundings.

“As car camera systems become increasingly sophisticated and AI is deployed across the vehicle, this research aims to explore the potential of smarter, more responsive imaging systems optimized for computers rather than humans. The collaboration between Lero and Arm could revolutionise the way vehicles perceive their environments by optimising cameras and sensing systems for AI processing, enabling cars to sense and react faster to their environment,” explained Professor Denny, who is based in UL’s Department of Computer Science and Information Systems.

“The automotive market is going through an unprecedented transformation and as part of this, we’re seeing an explosion in the demand for AI across the vehicle,” explained Andy Rose, VP Technology Strategy and Fellow, Arm.

“Bringing together Arm’s technical expertise and market knowledge with Lero’s internationally recognised software and computer imaging research capabilities, this project has the potential to drive exciting new developments for next-generation automotive vision systems.”

This research will benefit drivers, the public, and vulnerable road users. The project’s advancements have the potential to not only help make cars smarter but also empower chip manufacturers to develop innovative new products for this market.