Vayyar Imaging & egrave; an Israeli company that has little to do with the consumer world, yet & egrave; one of those worth talking about because & eacute; it could bring a small-big revolution in the world of cars. And it is; also the opportunity to inaugurate a new column aimed at discovering invisible technologies , hidden in the cars of today and tomorrow.
Known at CES in Las Vegas, the Israelis from Vayyar this year perfected their cockpit radar , a system that has more; of a practical advantage and that, lately, & egrave; been approved by the FCC in the United States and by the ETSI in Europe, as well as having met the Euro NCAP requirements for 2023 .
MINOR COMPLEXIT? IN TIME OF CRISIS 
The semiconductor crisis has made it clear how much modern cars are stuffed with chips, to the point of controlling aspects that we considered marginal: Tesla and Mercedes had removed the electric lumbar support from the passenger seat to save money. In short, the chip shortage phenomenon has not only affected obvious features such as the Peugeot i-cockpit, which had to eliminate it from the 308, but also those aspects of the cars that are hidden from view. Not to mention Land Rover which has suspended production … on the other hand the Defender & egrave; stuffed with technology to the core!
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Vayyar's 4D radar fits perfectly into this context, replacing a whole series of sensors scattered around the cockpit and required by law with a single device. This is not only a cost saving but also a reduction in complexity, weight and wiring: although apparently derisory, these measures are the key to optimization in the future, especially when we will have to rely only on battery-powered cars.
In a single-chip solution, Vayyar & # 39; s interior radar integrates hardware to have vision over three rows of seats and up to 8 passengers .
Among its functions there is; monitoring of children on board , so & igrave; to be able to eliminate the uncomfortable cushions with sensors that have become mandatory for the law on anti-abandonment devices. Also enabled seat belt warning . The virtual eye in the passenger compartment then allows you to detect the occupancy status of the various seats, also useful for targeted and optimized airbag openings , without counting the versatility; that a radar offers in terms of future updates. A software update could easily bring the car up to date with new requirements and enable more features.
Finally, the possibility is implicit; to use it as an alarm in case of intrusion inside the passenger compartment, a function that is also added to the optimization of the seat belt pre-tensioning system.
The platform integrates a 60 GHz radar that does not need; of an external intelligence and for this reason it is defined radar-on-chip: sensors and control logic in a single device tested and certified to be “ automotive grade '', the definition that confirms resistance and durability characteristics; far superior to those we find on classic consumer devices such as smartphones, computers and so on.
Since it is a radar, then, it is not; affected by the light conditions and his & quot; sight & quot; composes the images using a point cloud that can read up to the car floor. In the case of the detection of children on board, for example, it perceives the presence of the most & ugrave; small even if they are under a cover or if they had to sneak between the seats.
The advantage over a camera, moreover, is; also evident in terms of perceived privacy : although Tesla for example can reassure its users on the camera in the cockpit, there will be; always who will have; to object to data security.
The uses that solutions like Vayyar's will enable in the world of # 39 ; cars are many. Integrated with the eCall, the automatic emergency call, the radar can be used to expand its functionality outside the scenario of an accident. In addition, there are also possibilities; of use as a gesture recognition system to interact with some car functions, for example opening to the possibility; to eliminate frets and cut further on the weight of the car.
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