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By Behrooz Rezvani, Ph.D.
CEO, Neural Propulsion Systems

There have been a number of news articles lately commenting on the impending NHTSA regulations that require new passenger vehicles and light trucks to include Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) that can prevent collisions, even at speeds up to 62 mph — a threshold today’s systems struggle to meet.

One particular article published on December 2nd in NPR caught my attention.  Its title, “Crash prevention technology shows ‘huge potential,’ but the roadmap is up for debate,” really got me thinking, as did the comment in the article from an industry trade group stating the NHTSA regulation is “virtually impossible to meet at this point.”

As CEO of Neural Propulsion Systems (NPS), my team and I are dedicated to pioneering next-generation radar operating systems that deliver crystal-clear visibility for life-saving applications, the first being advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and AEB.  I could not disagree more with the industry pushback and the roadmap debate.  The regulation IS possible to meet today and there is a roadmap that fits the bill.  It’s NPS.

Our technology steps into the gap left by existing radar, LiDAR and camera technology, offering the ability to detect potential collisions with unmatched resolution and accuracy, even when driving at nighttime, in adverse weather conditions and at high speeds. We offer an AI-powered software-defined radar solution that enables applications to “see” with a clarity that surpasses human vision and existing technologies. Our early tests show that NPS technology detects pedestrians from twice as far away (191 m vs 95 m) as today’s super resolution (.6 degree) radar technology making an accident highly unlikely in both ideal and adverse road conditions. And our system is hardware-agnostic meaning that it can be used with almost any radar hardware to make it significantly better. I believe NPS technology is a cornerstone of the safety roadmap and is essential for automakers that are racing to differentiate offerings and meet increasing consumer expectations for safety, convenience and performance at a reasonable cost.

I invite people to listen to a recent panel discussion on ADAS with Rick Wagoner, former Chairman and CEO of General Motors, John Casesa former Group VP at Ford Motor Company now at Guggenheim Partners and John McElroy of Autoline.  The panelists provide great perspective on how high-performance radar technology is increasingly becoming a must-have feature for safety-minded consumers, and will create a competitive advantage for OEMs that invest in it today.

And if you want to learn more or see NPS  technology in person, schedule time to see us at CES in Las Vegas in January.