LG Innotek has begun operating sensor-equipped vehicles on South Korean roads in partnership with U.S. autonomous driving software company Applied Intuition to collect real-world data and improve technologies used by self-driving vehicles to interpret their surroundings, The Korea Times reported.
The companies launched the data collection programme in Korea with plans to expand the fleet to 20 vehicles by 2028. Initial operations will focus on Seoul, Incheon and surrounding areas of Gyeonggi Province, with vehicles supporting both road data collection and autonomous driving software development.
Applied Intuition Supports Data Collection Programme
The partnership with Applied Intuition gives LG Innotek access to real-world driving data that can be used to improve automotive sensors and sensor-fusion technologies.
The vehicles combine cameras, radar and lidar to capture information about road conditions, vehicle movements, object locations and changes in weather. The collected data will also be paired with digital twin environments for sensor development and system validation.
Sensor Fusion Improves Environmental Detection
Sensor fusion combines information from multiple sensing technologies to create a more detailed representation of the vehicle’s surroundings.
Cameras provide visual information, radar measures factors such as distance and speed, while lidar generates three-dimensional spatial data. Combining these inputs can help autonomous driving systems interpret surrounding road conditions and objects.
LG Innotek also plans to collect data from so-called edge cases, including situations that can challenge vehicle sensors. Examples include black vehicles in heavy rain, strong backlighting at tunnel exits and irregular lane markings around construction sites.
The company said personal information captured by vehicle cameras, including faces and license plates, will be de-identified before the data is used.
Data Supports Physical AI Sensing
The fleet is part of LG Innotek’s broader push into autonomous driving and physical artificial intelligence sensing markets. The company is targeting customers in North America and Europe with camera, radar and lidar solutions.
“Autonomous driving solutions are evolving from upgrading individual sensor performance toward optimizing sensors and software together based on data,” said John Min, chief technology officer and vice president at LG Innotek.
“By leveraging our advanced, data-driven hybrid sensing solutions, we will swiftly capture a leading position in physical AI sensing markets, including autonomous driving.”
Global Testing Planned
LG Innotek said vehicles equipped with its sensing modules will also operate in the United States, Europe and Japan.
The additional deployments will allow the company to gather driving data across different road, traffic and weather conditions, supporting the development and validation of sensing technologies for autonomous vehicles.
