Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/764316
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2016 IV Motoring IBM said it has partnered with BMW Group to research how Watson can help with driver- assist functions. A team of BMW engineers will work with IBM researchers and develop- ers at the technology com- pany's new Watson Internet of Things headquarters in Munich. Four BMW i8 hybrid sports cars will be connected to IBM's Bluemix cloud platform "to demonstrate how Watson can enable new conversa- tional interfaces between cars and drivers," IBM said in a statement. "With this agreement, our companies will work together to lay the foundations so that BMW's drivers can benefit from Watson's conversational and machine learning capa- bilities," Harriet Green, IBM global head of the Watson Internet of Things business, said in the statement. "Our insight shows that while the car will remain a fixture in personal transportation, the driving experience will change more over the next decade than at any other time of the automobile's existence," Green said. BMW's agreement with IBM is the latest move by an au- tomaker to get a leg up in the race to develop fully connect- ed vehicles. Automakers and suppliers have invested bil- lions of dollars in recent years to develop technology related to connected and autonomous vehicles. The i8's owner manual will be uploaded into Watson, which will allow drivers to ask questions about the vehicle in their "natural" language and receive answers while safely driving, said Niklaus Waser, IBM head of Watson Internet of Things in Europe, in an interview. Watson will also be able to incorporate traffic updates and weather information to make up-to-the-minute route suggestions, and it will be able to monitor driver behavior to personalize the car to enhance safety, performance and com- fort, Waser said. "We will work together so that BMW drivers can benefit from Watson's machine learn- ing capabilities," he said. IBM this year said it would invest $200 million into the Munich Watson Internet of Things headquarters, where it plans to collaborate with com- panies in industries including automotive, health care and electronics. BMW is the first automaker to partner with IBM's Watson team in Munich. Waser said IBM hopes to collaborate with other automakers in the future, as well. "There is no reason why we should do this only with BMW, and BMW has not asked for exclusivity," Waser said. He did not disclose how many engineers and research- ers were assigned to the BMW project. While BMW is the first automaker to collaborate with IBM with Watson in Munich, it is not the first time IBM has teamed with an automaker on connectivity. It partnered with PSA Peugeot Citroen in 2015 to connect vehicles to the Internet, while General Motors said in October that it would use Watson software to identify driver behavior and market services to motorists using that information. 䔀砀瀀爀攀猀猀 圀椀猀栀攀猀 琀漀 愀氀氀 漀甀爀 伀甀爀 戀甀猀礀 攀氀瘀攀猀 眀椀氀氀 戀攀 琀愀欀椀渀最 愀 眀攀氀氀ⴀ搀攀猀攀爀瘀攀搀 戀爀攀愀欀 漀渀 琀栀攀 䴀漀渀搀愀礀猀 漀昀 ㈀㘀 䐀攀挀攀洀戀攀爀 愀渀搀 ㈀ 䨀愀渀甀愀爀礀 Especially during the holiday season, do not drink and drive. Be responsible and think. 倀愀爀琀渀攀爀猀 愀渀搀 䌀氀椀攀渀琀猀 攀砀瀀爀攀猀猀氀漀最椀最爀漀甀瀀⸀挀漀洀 爀漀愀搀 猀攀愀 愀椀爀 ⬀㌀㔀㘀 ㈀ ㈀㈀ 㤀㤀㤀 BMW teams with IBM's Watson on driver-assist technology IBM's Watson artificial intelligence system is perhaps best known for helping doctors identify cancer treatments and for beating previous champions at "Jeopardy!" Now, it might soon become known in the auto industry for helping to make vehicles safer and more personalized BMW Joins IBM in new Watson IoT HQ Center in Munich, Germany. Harriet Green, Global Head of Watson IoT and Niklaus Waser, Head of Watson IoT Center in Munich present symbolic key to Marcus Raisch, Head of E-Mobility and Alexander Kraubitz, International Corporate Sales of BMW. Apple signals a readiness to join the self-driving car race A five-page letter from Steve Kenner, Apple's director of product integrity, to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra- tion is the company's most comprehensive statement yet about its interest in self- driving vehicle technology. The Nov. 22 letter followed more than a year of industry speculation about the com- puter and iPhone maker's plans for expanding into transportation. "The company is investing heavily in the study of ma- chine learning and automa- tion, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation," Kenner wrote. "Executed properly under NHTSA's guidance, automated vehicles have the potential to greatly enhance the hu- man experience to prevent millions of car crashes and thousands of fatalities each year and to give mobility to those without." Apple urged regulators not to impose too many restrictions on testing of self-driving cars, saying "established manufacturers and new entrants should be treated equally." Since software would decide what actions to take in potentially danger- ous situations, Apple said certain areas need special attention. These include the implications of algorithmic decisions for the safety, mobility and legality of au- tomated vehicles and their occupants, ensuring privacy and security in design, and the impact of the cars on employment and public spaces. Some analysts forecast millions of jobs will be lost once self-driving cars large- ly replace truck, taxi and Uber drivers, and eliminate the need for most vehicle repairs, insurance adjust- ers and other functions. Apple's letter was prompted by its heavy investment in machine learning and autonomous systems, company spokesman Tom Neumayr said in an emailed statement. "There are many potential applications for these technologies, includ- ing the future of transporta- tion, so we want to work with NHTSA to help define the best practices for the industry," he said. In September, the Obama administration proposed guidelines for the develop- ment of self-driving cars in a 15-point "safety assess- ment," calling on automak- ers to voluntarily submit details of their systems to regulators. Apple execu- tives have been coy about their interest in cars. CEO Tim Cook has suggested that Apple wants to move beyond integration of Apple smartphones into vehicle infotainment systems.