NRMA partners with Telstra to retrofit 300 vans with AI sensors
The National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) has teamed up with Telstra to retrofit 300 of its roadside assistance vans across New South Wales with Mobileye's artificial intelligence driver-assistance system.
"These vans can spend up to 4,000 hours on the road each year. That's almost 250,000 minutes where anything can happen, from major collisions through to dangerous near misses. But in a little under two hours of installation for each vehicle, we're working to make those hours spent helping others safer than ever," Telstra Global IoT Solutions executive Gerhard Loots said.
According to Loots, the Intel-owned company Mobileye has designed the Mobileye 6 series to give drivers a "third-eye on the road" and help avoid driving accidents. It features a single camera with in-built sensor and a dashboard alert unit that gives drivers visual and audible warnings about potential accidents.
Loots said through the system, drivers receive up to two seconds of audible warnings before a potential accident, and up to 2.7 seconds on highways and in urban areas ahead of a forward collision with other vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, or pedestrians. The system also provides speed alert and lane departure warnings.
He touted that given the simplicity of the system, NRMA patrol drivers have had to go through little training to use it.
"NRMA patrol drivers are briefed on the new tech, and they're back on the road. No advanced training or operation required: just a small, potentially life-saving upgrade to their invaluable mobile office," he said.
The systems have now been in place for six to eight weeks, with Loots boasting that the drivers have "already reported that they feel safer".
NRMA patrols will provide ongoing feedback to Mobileye as further rollouts of the system continues, Loots said.
Mobileye was recorded in November as Intel's fastest growing business.
The technology giant acquired the Israel-based Mobileye for $15 billion two years ago.
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