In recent years, the self-driving car industry has achieved rapid development, which has benefited to a certain extent from the advancement and rapid application of technologies such as computer vision. Despite the challenges posed by the new crown epidemic, the global self-driving car market is expected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 53.6% from 2022 to 2030.
With the popularization of L2 and above autonomous driving technology and electric vehicles, in order to avoid dangerous driving behaviors and improve driving safety, the demand for advanced driver monitoring systems (DMS) is also increasing.
Nowadays, models equipped with related technologies are coming out one after another, and whether they have these new technologies has also become the focus of consideration for new car users.
In 2021 alone, more than 560,000 new cars in China will have pre-installed DMS systems, according to data from the Gaogong Intelligent Automobile Research Institute, a smart car research institute.
The European New Car Safety Assessment Association (Euro NCAP) has also issued relevant policies to further promote the application of DMS in Europe. Among them, the main functions of DMS include drowsiness detection, gaze area detection, distraction detection and dangerous driving detection.
The rise of a new generation of smart cabin applications
Nonetheless, we observe that a new generation of smart applications is emerging.
In the past, the DMS system only focused on the driver and paid little attention to the safety, comfort and convenience of passengers, but the new generation of intelligent applications will surpass DMS in function.
Major manufacturers are gradually rolling out Occupant Monitoring Systems (OMS) to provide more advanced and comprehensive perception solutions for passengers in vehicles. At present, analysis reports have pointed out that the market size of the global passenger monitoring system is about 42.5 million US dollars in 2020, and is expected to reach 225.5 million US dollars in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 19.1% from 2021 to 2030.
We are also starting to see new applications launched in the Chinese market, including the monitoring of health indicators such as the driver’s heart rate and breathing rate.
Relying on augmented reality (AR) technology, many models have also added a virtual driving assistant with a customizable appearance. They are proactive and user-friendly, not only interacting with the driver, but also providing timely warnings when there is a dangerous situation ahead or when dangerous driving behavior is detected.
Just as PIN codes and contactless key fobs are gradually replacing car keys in our pockets, unlocking cars through facial recognition is starting to gain traction. Similar to face unlock on a phone, this feature improves vehicle safety while adjusting driving settings to the driver’s preferences.
When it comes to passengers, children are often the most valued group. The child detection function, which can send a reminder to the driver or parent when an unsupervised child is detected in the car, has also become a key consideration for home users when purchasing a car.
The European New Car Safety Evaluation Association announced that from 2023, it will incorporate the child detection function into its scoring system, and other functions include pet detection and legacy item detection, which can bring great convenience to car owners.
The smart car cabin industry has entered a virtuous circle
Although smart cabins are a relatively new field, the related applications already cover the latest models released.
As the country with the largest car production and sales in the world since 2009, China has taken the lead in the development of smart car cabins. Major auto manufacturers such as Chery, NIO, Great Wall, and BYD have all deployed smart car cabins on a large scale.
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, the above-mentioned innovative functions are also being popularized in other parts of the world.
More importantly, the development of the smart car cabin industry is forming a virtuous circle. With the increase in the carrying capacity, it will in turn promote the progress of technology, so as to develop more smart applications, which contains broad prospects.
With the proliferation of smart cabin technology, we will usher in a safer, more enjoyable, and human-centred driving experience.