Computer Vision Technology Developer StradVision Announces New North American Headquarters in Michigan, Expands U.S. Business

author: FutureCar Staff    

StradVision's SVNet AI-powered, deep learning software improves the perception capabilities of autonomous vehicles and driver assist systems.

South Korean company StradVision, which is developing AI-powered computer vision processing technology for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), announced that it has established a new North American Headquarters in Sterling Heights, Michigan. 

The company says its new U.S. office will help it to better develop new market opportunities in the automotive industry in the United States.

As part of the announcement, StradVision CEO Junhwan Kim announced that COO Sunny Lee will be relocating to Michigan from South Korea to lead its U.S. operations. Lee was appointed as CEO of StradVision Technology USA, established in 2018 as the company's hub for technology development. 

Lee will be the leader of operation and technology development in the U.S. She will be responsible for the expansion of StradVision's business, as well as strengthening of the engineering team to provide close collaboration and technical support to its customers.

"The U.S. market is one of the most important markets for our future business. We have long been closely cooperating with many partners in the automotive parts and semiconductors industry based on our strong IP portfolio including over 160 U.S. patents. With the establishment of the North American Headquarters, we intend to further expand our contribution to the future of autonomous driving in the U.S.", said Ms. Lee.

StradVision's new Michigan office will provide support for North American-based OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers and semiconductor manufacturers, according to the company.

StradVision also plans to unveil a demo vehicle, which will display examples of its newest technologies. The demo vehicle will be used for customer and media demos. 

StradVision was founded in 2014 in South Korea and is a pioneer in AI-based vision processing technology for the auto industry. The company says its accelerating the deployment of fully autonomous vehicles by making powerful ADAS features available to automakers with its technology at a fraction of the cost compared to its competitors. 

StradVision continues to accelerate the advancement of autonomous vehicles with "SVNet" AI-based object recognition software. The software is currently used in mass production models of ADAS and autonomous driving vehicles that support SAE safety function Levels 2 to 4. It will be deployed in more than 50 vehicle models worldwide, including in Mercedes-Benz models.

SVNet supports semantic segmentation, which is a computer vision technology that classifies objects in an image on a pixel-by-pixel basis using deep learning algorithms to identify cars, pedestrians and road signs and other objects. The technology improves how an autonomous vehicle perceives its surroundings. The technology even works in harsh weather conditions such as rain, snow or in darkness for an added layer of safety for automated driving systems.

The SVNet software provides enhanced vision perception features, including depth-map solution which uses innovative "pseudo LiDAR" technology that replaces traditional laser-based LiDAR sensors, which are costly for automakers due to their high performance requirements. It offers high precision distance measurements of 3D objects using only an inexpensive mono-channel camera. It essentially treats camera output as if it were lidar data.

StradVison's perception technology mimics how traditional lidar scans an environment and has the potential to significantly reduce the use of expensive lidar for building self-driving capable vehicles at scale.

SVNet can also be used for ADAS features, such as Lane Detection, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assistance System and Lane Centering Assist. The highly efficient SVNet software relies on deep learning-based perception algorithms and requires dramatically less memory and low power requirements, according to StradVision. 

"We are very pleased to establish our new North American Headquarters in Michigan, which is at the forefront of research and development in ADAS and the Autonomous Vehicle business. This is a major step for StradVision as we continue to explore partnerships with U.S.-based partners," Kim said.  

In addition to the opening of a new U.S. headquarters, StradVision hired Yearn Ha to be its new Sales Director. Ha has extensive industry experience as a business expert in the automotive industry including leadership roles at Aptiv, Hyundai MOBIS and Applied Intuition.

StradVision was selected as a perception software provider for future ADAS technology, such as Augmented Reality Head-Up Displays (AR-HUD), Automated Valet Parking, by leading auto manufacturers from Germany and China.  

In December, StradVision announced it teamed up with LG Electronics to develop an advanced vehicle instrument platform based on augmented reality (AR). The two companies are working closely together on the development of LG Electronics' next-generation augmented reality solutions that offer drivers a higher level of safety.  

The augmented reality head-up (AR HUD) instrument cluster projects information such as navigation and various ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) warnings to the windshield based on data collected in real-time through sensors installed on the vehicle. 

In addition to the new Michigan office, StradVision has additional locations in Silicon Valley, Tokyo, and Munich. 

FutureCar Staff