Fully automated and autonomous vehicles should be able to respond appropriately in every situation. Data from laser, camera, and radar sensors needs to be processed and merged quickly and reliably in cars, so that the car always has an accurate picture of the actual traffic conditions, can locate its own position in this environment, and, on the basis of this information, make the right decisions. This data is so complex that artificial intelligence is required to ensure a high level of safety on the roads.

To this end, the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and partners from industry and science are collaborating on the KI-FLEX project, to develop a hardware platform and the associated software framework. The algorithms used for sensor signal processing and sensor data fusion are largely based on neural networks and enable the vehicle’s exact position and environment to be determined. The joint project, which runs through August 2022, is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).