No Auto Crash for Israel's Mobileye

Mobileye, a developer of crash-detection technology, is doing just fine despite the dark cloud over the automotive industry

By Neal Sandler

Global car sales have plummeted in the past year and there appears little hope for improvement any time soon. General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) are teetering on the verge of bankruptcy and other industry giants such as Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VOWG.DE) face worsening prospects. The state of the global automotive industry is hardly appealing. But Israeli startup Mobileye Vision Technology, a developer of crash-detection technology, isn't the least bit fazed.

"Fortunately for us, even in hard times innovation is crucial for the highly competitive auto industry and safety is an area where the major players are not skimping," says Amnon Shashua, chairman and co-founder of Mobileye and a world renowned expert on 3D and computer vision.

In spite of the gloom in the global automotive industry, Mobileye—based in Jerusalem and Amstelveen, Netherlands—has signed several major contracts in recent weeks for its Accident Warning and Control System (AWACS). The technology serves as an early alert system to notify drivers if they have unintentionally swerved from a lane or gotten too close to another vehicle. The system sounds an audible signal as the car comes within a 2.5-second distance from the car or truck ahead, enough time to react and prevent an accident.

Using a single high-speed camera sensor, the technology employs a powerful microprocessor that runs Mobileye's proprietary vision-processing algorithms. Developed at the company's Jerusalem research and development center, AWACS uses pattern recognition to analyze a constant stream of static and dynamic data collected from the driving environment. A team of 80 Mobileye experts is constantly developing new applications, such as a new pedestrian detection scheme that will be incorporated in future versions of the product.

Technology Taking Off

The company already sells its EyeQ chip and the software needed to run the various applications to seven of the top 10 auto industry suppliers, including Continental (CONG.DE), Delphi, and Magna International (MGA). The cost to the automakers of a built-in system runs around $200.

The technology has been offered as an option since 2007 in a number of GM, BMW (BMWG.DE), and Volvo models. "It has definitely met our expectations with new car buyers," says Artur Russ, manager of the camera-based driver assistance program at BMW. The German carmaker began offering a lane detection feature last year on its 5 and 6 Series models and this year is adding traffic sign and automatic high-beam-assist applications in its top-of-the-line 7 Series.

Mobileye says it's also working with three other major carmakers on incorporating the technology, one of which is believed to be Japanese. In general, Shashua notes, U.S. and European carmakers are faster than the Japanese at incorporating new technologies not developed in-house.