It’s a bug that cars were invented before computers – Tech.AD Europe 2024

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At Tech.AD Europe 2024, this quote from 2010 by Eric Emerson Schmidt, former CEO of Google, was put at the centre of the communication, reflecting the relationship between computing and the automotive industry today. The event took place in Berlin from 10-12 March this year.

At the event, which gathers the cream of the industry involved in the development and production of self-driving cars – where participants can discuss where technology and the market are heading – our department’s Vehicle Dynamics and -and Control research group also participated. The conference was attended by major automotive manufacturers such as Mercedes, GM and Ford, automotive suppliers such as ZF and Continental, software companies such as DXC, Hexagon and Waymo, and start-ups.

On behalf of the research team, Ádám Bárdos, Ph.D., Group Leader and Managing Director of iMotionDrive Kft. and Ádám Domina, PhD student, participated.  An important task was to develop the business network of the new university spinoff company iMotionDrive and to assess the current market demand and supply situation. At the same time, they aimed to raise awareness of iMotionDrive and identify specific customers and business opportunities.

Dr. Ádám Bárdos after the event concluded: “For a researcher, it is always exciting to hear about cutting-edge technologies and to meet their representatives and industry players in a more concentrated way. And from iMotionDrive’s point of view, our presence was absolutely useful and purposeful, as the new company develops automatic accident avoidance systems for the automotive industry, providing automatic decision-making, motion planning and motion control in critical accident situations.”

Preparing for a career path – students in visit

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27 students of József Eötvös High School Budapest 5th District, the second best high school in the country, according to the HVG 2024 ranking of high schools, visited the Department of Automotive Technologies of BME today.

During the three-hour programme, the students were given interactive presentations on topics such as whether a car can be hacked, how experts use simulation software to analyse the causes of an accident, and how a self-driving vehicle can detect its environment. Visitors were given hands-on demonstrations of hydrogen fuel cell drive and laser 3D metal printing.

At the end of the visit, Dániel Drótos, grade 11 B, said the following about his impressions: „I liked that the demonstration was very hands-on, so you can really see what is happening and it is not just about dry learning. I’m studying physics and I already know that after high school I want to apply to the BME and become an engineer.”

Blanka Farkas Szigeti, Dániel’s classmate, added: “For me, it’s more the theoretical part that matters. It was very interesting for me to understand the latest, cutting-edge technologies. For example, I was able to learn about something that I’ve been interested in lately and which we hear so often, even in the news, about how self-driving cars are being developed and how they work. I want to study biology, but I am very interested in research and it was a great experience to see research labs.”

Erzsébet Prokopp, the teacher accompanying the group, summarized her experience by saying, “As a teacher, my impression is that it was absolutely thought-provoking and helps to determine the direction and where students should imagine themselves, both in terms of learning and later in terms of work. It was very practical and also very interesting, so I am very glad we could come. For example, the students really liked the crash simulation, which was very impressive, but also the hydrogen engine or the 3D laser printer were very interesting. Exciting little highlights, thank you very much!”

Zsolt Szalay Phd, Head of the Department, commented on the visit of Eötvös High School: „It is always a great pleasure for us when secondary school students come to visit us, as it is a special opportunity to inspire the next generation or broaden their horizons. „

The programme was carried out with the participation of several faculty members and staff members of the Department, Dr. Krisztián Bán, Tamás Kazár, Gábor Vida, Mátyás Szalai, Károly Fodor, Márton Cserni and László Ferenc Varga.

The research related to the developments presented in the context of self-driving vehicles was supported by the European Union in the framework of the National Laboratory for Autonomous Systems (RRF-2.3.1-21-2022-00002).

New Safety Features Successfully Tested – Video!

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During the successful demonstration, we presented the features of a central system that models and interprets the environment in real time, a trajectory planner and a collision avoidance safety feature.

The central system transmits the avoidance maneuver data or even intervention signals to the vehicle via radio link, guiding the vehicle along the collision avoidance trajectory. Such a system also offers the possibility to automatically test various driver assistance systems and to control vehicles cooperatively. The demonstration was carried out by research and development engineers from BME and VirtualVehicle.

In the first demonstration, the goal was to avoid a collision with a virtual pedestrian, while in the second demonstration the vehicle had to avoid a physical test dummy.

Both demonstrations were successful.

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A demonstráció a “Központi rendszer az automatizált járművek tesztelésének és működésének támogatásához” című EUREKA projekt (2020-1.2.3-EUREKA-2021-00001) keretében valósult meg.

Vibrant Japanese interest in our automotive research

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A prestigious delegation from Japan visited the Department of Automotive Technologies, accompanied by the member of the board  and senior executives of Magyar Suzuki Zrt.

BME and Shizuoka University in Japan have been running an exchange programme for 25 years, supported by the Suzuki Foundation’s visitor research fellowship programme to promote joint research. The fellowships are open to academics, researchers, PhD students, MSc graduate students for 6-12 months and are based at the Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University.

Prof. Dr. Emilia Csiszár, Vice-Rector for International Affairs of BME, Dr. Anikó Csákány, Head of the Directorate for Science and Innovation, and Dr. Bíbor Klekner, Senior Coordinator of the Directorate for International Relations, welcomed the professor of Shizuoka University, member of the Board of Directors of the Suzuki Foundation, and the member of the board of Magyar Suzuki Zrt. and his colleagues at the University of Technology. During the visit, the parties mainly discussed the possible expansion of cooperation, with a special focus on the Suzuki Foundation scholarship program.

Another important goal of the delegation was to get acquainted with the current research at BME, mainly related to the automotive industry, so in the second half of their visit the guests were also welcomed by the Department of Automotive Technologies with a presentation. The presentation was followed by laboratory visits to the department. Both the demonstration on self-driving vehicles by the BME Automated Drive laboratory and the presentation on additive manufacturing and generative design by the Laser and Vehicle Manufacturing Technologies research group, as well as related research, attracted a lot of interest from the visiting senior executives. The meeting was enhanced by the fact that András Rövid PhD, head of the cooperative perception research group, who gave the demonstration, was himself a former Suzuki Foundation fellow and greeted the guests in Japanese.

Shinya Yokokawa (Magyar Suzuki Zrt.), Masahiko Ando (Suzuki Foundation), Mitsuhiro Fukuta (Shizuoka University), József Kocsis (Magyar Suzuki Zrt.), András Rövid (BME GJT)

Following the visit to the Department of Automotive Technologies, Professor Mitsuhiro Fukuta, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Shizuoka University, pointed out: “I’m really impressed by your research work. I strongly believe that this kind of specialized education is very beneficial for the industry. I see many opportunities for us to work together on various research projects, and I’d like to continue building a good relationship and cooperation with your university. Our university is located in Hamamatsu, a big industrial city in Japan where companies like Suzuki, Yamaha, Yamaha-motor, Honda, Kawai, Roland, Hamamatsu Photonics, etc. are based, so our ties with the industry are crucial. I think engineering should be practical, which is why I appreciate the research I’ve seen here at BME Automotive Technologies. It’s very useful for both education and students to connect with the real-world industry and production systems.”

Zsolt Szalay, Phd, Head of the Department, added: “I am very happy that this meeting has taken place. Based on our common vision, I am confident that we can establish direct cooperation between Shizuoka University and our department in the field of automotive technology research. As we move towards becoming a 3rd generation university, it is crucial that the new technologies generated through university-industry collaboration are commercialized in industry and the market.”

Rövid András

Shinya Yokokawa, Mitsuhoro Fukuta

Mitsuhiro_Fukuta, Masahiko Ando

Shinya Yokokawa, András Rövid

Krisztián Bán (BME GJT), Masahiko Ando (Suzuki Foundation), Mitsuhiro Fakuta (Shizuoka University)

József Kocsis (Magyar Suzuki Zrt.)

The research related to the developments presented in the Automated Drive Lab was funded by the European Union under the National Laboratory for Autonomous Systems (RRF-2.3.1-21-2022-00002).