Motion Planning Software for Autonomous Car Industry

Project Information

EMP

Grant agreement ID: 836777

DOI

10.3030/836777

Project closed

EC signature date 28 November 2018

Start date 1 December 2018

End date 31 March 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

EMBOTECH AG
Switzerland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EMP (Motion Planning Software for Autonomous Car Industry)

Reporting period: 2018-12-01 to 2019-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Embotech is a leading developer of cutting-edge decision-making software founded in 2013 as a spin-off of the Automatic Control Laboratory of the ETH Zurich.
EMP is our automatic driving software suite for road vehicle motion planning that includes ProParker, ProCruiser and UrbanDriver modules. It empowers autonomous vehicles to make decisions based on information on surrounding objects coming from on-board sensor equipment, solving complex trajectory optimization in milliseconds. Our goal is a system that enables autonomous driving levels 4-5, bringing significant improvements in safety, comfort and fuel savings as compared to competing alternatives. Our deterministic approach is based on an innovative methodology that combines math and physics, presenting a high chance of becoming the industry choice for Motion Planning.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We have developed a Feasibility Study that checks the technical, commercial and financial feasibility of EMP. We have analyzed the technical developments ahead and prepared an execution plan. Activities performed include the evaluation of the technical developments necessary to implement, test and validate the new EMP system to reach our technical goals; an estimation of resources, costs and timing; a technical risk assessment; and the definition of mitigation and contingency plans.
We have performed an analysis of the market of Automatic Driving Assistance Software, ADAS, out of which we have developed our go-to-market strategy and a plan for commercialization which considers threats and opportunities, barriers and risks, and competitor activity. Freedom-to-operate has been secured and IPR protection strategies and roadmap for product certification have been defined.
We have created a business plan which includes the evaluation of sales, costs and total investments. We have performed an 8-year analysis on cash-flow and estimated project financial indicators such as payback and ROI. Project budget has been estimated and required sources of funding have been analyzed. Overall, the project has been deemed as feasible.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

As human errors are the main reason for road traffic accidents, driving automatically is expected to make the future of road transport safer. It has also the potential to make mobility and transport more environmentally friendly, efficient and accessible. As an enabler of automatic driving, the ultimate objective of EMP is to be at the centre of this revolution, ensuring a safer, more comfortable and efficient mobility.

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