Cognata’s Cutting-Edge Algorithms Elevate ZF’s ADAS Suite

ZF is rolling out a new, adaptable suite of data and AI-driven services designed for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) virtual engineering and digital validation. This platform, named Adas.ai, aims to assist OEMs in speeding up the development of ADAS for both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Remarkably, Adas.ai is versatile enough to work with ADAS technology from ZF as well as other tier-one suppliers.

Adas.ai stands out due to two key innovations:
1. It features a high-resolution, multi-sensor synchronized data set collected globally from various driving scenarios and mileage needed to validate L2+ ADAS.
2. It uses proprietary AI technology, developed in collaboration with Cognata, to convert this detailed data into sensor inputs as perceived in vehicle applications.

Hosted in the cloud, Adas.ai offers significant cost and quality benefits compared to traditional engineering and validation methods that rely on physical test drives and older simulation technologies. By injecting real-world driving data into multiple engineering and validation stages, whether virtually or through full sensor modes, Adas.ai streamlines and enhances these processes.

Christophe Marnat, ZF’s Executive Vice President, explained, “We use real-world data in an end-to-end approach because we understand what our customers and regulatory bodies are looking for. With our system, OEMs don’t need vast numbers of test drivers or massive financial investments to confidently develop and validate their ADAS. We effectively bridge the real and virtual worlds using real-world data.”

ZF aims to enable comprehensive ADAS virtual engineering for all tier-one suppliers. “OEMs desire ADAS validation to be as thorough as crash testing—fully validated digitally before the first prototype is made, and ZF has the technology to achieve this,” Marnat added.

Adas.ai incorporates algorithms from Cognata, whose CEO, Danny Atsmon, noted, “Cognata’s AI enables ZF’s validation suite to transfer real driving data to all existing and new vehicles with ADAS technology up to L2+ and validate it in the virtual environment. We refer to this as real-to-real transformation.”

Emphasizing the importance of safety and reliability, Marnat concluded, “Our engineering and validation suite prioritizes these values. It’s built not on mere simulations but on real-world driving data accumulated from hundreds of thousands of miles driven worldwide. ZF truly understands the requirements for integrating ADAS into vehicles on the road.”