Current approaches to artificial intelligence (AI) are being pushed to their limits in particularly complex systems such as autonomous driving. Professor Elmar Rückert and his team are therefore researching predictions and decision models based on neural networks at the University of Lübeck. These are based on other theoretical principles and process high-dimensional data from modern and innovative sensors. Specifically, the researchers are currently developing a safety and emergency sensor that is to be brought to market maturity. The AI prize was awarded by business magazine Bilanz and consulting firm McKinsey.

Closer to practical application is the Car Connectivity Consortium’s (CCC) Digital Key Release 2.0 specification , which aims to enable smartphones and other mobile devices to securely access vehicles and is planned for completion by the end of 2019. The core issue is the implementation of NFC (near-field communication) technology for the contactless exchange of data. Members of the consortium also include automobile and device manufacturers. It is therefore anticipated that products with secure digital keys and NFC technology will soon be available on the market.