EnfuseNet: Rewriting the economics of vehicle autonomy

Jul 1, 2020

Cambridge Consultants, part of the Capgemini Group, announces EnfuseNet, a breakthrough Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for autonomous vehicles. EnfuseNet fuses data from low-cost sensors and cameras – hardware costing just tens of dollars – to generate high-resolution depth data, the ideal reference point for autonomous systems. The result is revolutionary: very low-cost, high-resolution depth data that enables vehicle manufacturers and automotive suppliers to rewrite the economics of vehicle autonomy.

To experience EnfuseNet, visit EnfuseNet.com

The viability of mass-market autonomous vehicles hangs in the balance. The global market is expected to decline by more than 3% during 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak1 and may take years to recover. High technology costs mean the automotive industry has struggled to introduce advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) beyond luxury vehicles and into the mass market. Meanwhile, the ‘arms race’ to rack up millions of driven miles to capture real-world training data favors a small group of early leaders, blocking new entrants. Against this background, Cambridge Consultants developed EnfuseNet, the first low-cost, high-resolution vehicle perception technology. EnfuseNet will help vehicle manufacturers and mobility technology providers to realize a critical element of a self-driving system at a much lower cost, and to deliver autonomy to new and larger segments of the automotive industry.

Building an accurate and detailed depth point cloud – a 3D view around the vehicle – is critical for autonomous decision making. Today’s autonomous vehicles resolve depth data using two-dimensional camera inputs combined with LiDAR or radar. LiDAR remains the most accurate approach but with unit costs for mechanical spinning LiDAR devices in the thousands of dollars, the technology is prohibitively expensive beyond the luxury market. Radar is lower cost but does not provide enough depth points to build a high-resolution image. EnfuseNet takes data from a standard RGB camera and low-resolution depth sensors, which cost in the tens of dollars per device, and applies a neural network to predict depth at a vastly greater resolution than the original input. Uniquely, this depth information is per image pixel, enabling the system to provide depth data and a confidence prediction for every single object in an image.

EnfuseNet was trained with synthetic data in a virtual learning environment, performing impressively when tested with real-world data. This enables OEMs and automotive suppliers to overcome the time, complexity and cost constraints of collecting real-world data to train their ADAS perception algorithms. Generating high-quality depth point clouds, with confidence down to the pixel level, means that EnfuseNet improves explainability and traceability, reducing the risk of ‘black box’ decision making in a safety-critical application. The underlying model is based on a completely novel architecture that fuses Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Fully Convolutional Neural Networks (FCNs), pretrained elements, transfer and multi-objective learning and other approaches to optimize depth prediction performance.

Thomas Carmody, Head of Transport and Infrastructure at Cambridge Consultants, said: “We began with the need to address the high cost of ADAS systems and technology. We’ve applied three decades of experience in sensor system design with cutting-edge AI in order to make this breakthrough. EnfuseNet achieves unprecedented performance at very low cost and is poised to help autonomous driving reach mainstream adoption.”

EnfuseNet is the latest AI breakthrough from Cambridge Consultants. The company has cultivated a unique experimental culture, where data scientists and engineers can explore cutting-edge AI techniques and harness them to develop world-changing products and services. With a long track record of developing technologies for the automotive industries, including off-highway, Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and smart infrastructure, Cambridge Consultants helps automotive clients to seize the huge opportunity offered by vehicle autonomy.

Visit EnfuseNet.com and experience how EnfuseNet takes low-resolution inputs to create a three-dimensional view of a vehicle’s surroundings with near magical clarity.

Notes to editors

About Cambridge Consultants and Capgemini

About Cambridge Consultants
Cambridge Consultants develops breakthrough products, services and intellectual property, and provides business consultancy in technology-critical issues for clients worldwide. For more than 60 years, the company has been helping its clients turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether they are launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies. With a team of more than 800 team members, including engineers, scientists, mathematicians and designers, in offices in Cambridge (UK), Boston (USA), Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore, Cambridge Consultants offers solutions across a diverse range of industries including medical technology, industrial and consumer products, digital health, energy and wireless communications.

About Capgemini Invent
As the digital innovation, design and transformation brand of the Capgemini Group, Capgemini Invent enables CxOs to envision and shape the future of their businesses. Located in nearly 40 studios and more than 60 offices around the world, it comprises a 10,000+ strong team of strategists, data scientists, product and experience designers, brand experts and technologists who develop new digital services, products, experiences and business models for sustainable growth.

Capgemini Invent is an integral part of Capgemini, a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of over 325,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2021 global revenues of €18 billion.

Get The Future You Want

Visit us at www.capgemini.com/invent

Recent announcements

ディープテック

新規なテクノロジーや、そのテクノロジーを通じた長期的に持続可能な価値の創出について、ご関心をお持ちでしょうか。

当社はビジネスとテクノロジーが交差する場所での創造性に主眼を置き、お客様の事業を再定義するようなソリューションを創出します。

産業分野

お客様が目指す産業分野に関する深い見識を備え、ブレークスルーをもたらすディープテックを活用できて、価値を創出する活動で確かな実績を持つパートナーが必要です。

お客様の事業分野における当社の実績や、どのような事業上の優位性をお届けできるかについて、ご確認ください。

インサイト

ケンブリッジコンサルタンツの最新のインサイト、アイデア、視点をご確認ください。

ビジネスと社会の将来を形成するディープテックの動向を、最前線の事例を通じてお伝えします。

キャリア

ご自身の能力が評価され、真の差異を産み出せるような仕事に興味はありませんか。

これからキャリアをスタートする方でも、経験豊富な方でも、ぜひご連絡をお待ちしています。