Tyre maker Hankook is continuing to expand on its tyre technology with the development of a shared platform with SK Planet. The aim of the technology is to analyse road conditions using deep learning and AI in order to detect and identify traffic risks. Test-driving sites Hankook G’Track in Geumsan, Jorea and Technotrac in Ivalo, Finland will provide the system data.
A New Collaboration
With their new collaboration with SK Planet, a leading Data and Test company, the two companies are working to produce a monitoring system that identifies traffic risks as they happen. The “Road Risk Detection Solution” uses a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning technology to analyse noise on the road of passing cars and thus to identify potential risks on the road such as rainfall, snow, black ice, and accidents, as well as other dangers. The data is then relayed in real-time to various public transport safety and maintenance departments. Countermeasures such as the removal of excess snow or the repair of potholes can then be initiated in a timely manner.
Using AI will require a wide range of as much different noise data as possible to function effectively, so Hankook will provide diverse data to SK Planet to improve and increase the accuracy of the technology. The data will be collected at the test driving tracks in Geumsan, Korea, and Ivalo, Finland. As soon as the development is completed, the system is expected to be adapted and implemented to road traffic surveillance and control in the winter. SK Planet holds the patent for sound processing and the deep-learning technology that makes this solution possible.
“Safety is Hankook Tire’s top priority. Our partnership with SK Planet to build a risk detection solution thus contributes to safe driving as our core corporate purpose. Aligned with Hankook Tire‘s commitment to digital transformation, this partnership will also further advance the automotive industry”, explains Dipl.-Ing. Klaus Krause, head of the European research and development center at Hankook.
As well as Hankook’s previous work in technology-based innovation, the company has also been working closely with the Korean university KAIST (Korean Advanced Institute of Science & Technology) on future technologies and partnerships between industry and academia. The two parties are focusing on securing innovative R&D and digital technology capabilities through digital transformation, as they are doing with SK Planet.
