FLIR ADK Hits the Open Raod
FLIR Participates in VSI Automated Drive Series
On July 6, 2020, VSI will hit the road in their customized Ford Fusion to embark on a national tour demonstrating AEB and automated vehicle technologies in a program called The Automated Drive Series. FLIR's thermal ADK is integrated into the car's sensor suite that will demonstrate the new thermal, radar, visible fused sensor system created by VSI.
The VSI vehicle equipment comprises a full stack of sensors, including visible cameras, thermal imaging, lidar, radar, and precision localization. The on-board computer processes and records critical scenes and segments that are challenging to the sensors. The recorded data is valuable for post-drive analysis as VSI will be able to annotate challenging sections and road scenes.
Thermal imaging technology is crucial to improving the safety of motor vehicles, especially for nighttime driving or other low-visibility conditions that challenge human drivers and existing ADAS sensor suites. The FLIR Systems automotive team is thrilled for the opportunity to collect thermal imaging data in unique settings across rural and urban environments through their collaboration with VSI and its Automated Drive Series. This data is crucial to developing FLIR thermal sensing technology for ADAS, AVs, and now automatic emergency braking. These post-drive datasets will be valuable for understanding the performance of perception systems when exposed to a diversity of conditions and scenarios.
July 6, 2020 - VSI will launch its first drive of the series, the Automated Drive North. The car will travel to Ann Arbor (MI) via northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Through extensive exposure to northerly environments, VSI expects to capture data diversity of conditions such as winding roads, low visibility, changing weather, and wildlife. The journey will end at Detroit's American Center for Mobility, where VSI will continue its testing of automatic emergency braking with vehicle partner FLIR.
At the end of July VSI will return to Minneapolis to complete the Automated Drive North. The car will travel from Detroit, MI to Chicago, IL, Madison, WI, to arrive back in Minneapolis, MN. This drive will offer a more urban setting for data collection.