Commuters
currently face numerous transportation inefficiencies. The average American
loses [99
hours](https://inrix.com/press-releases/2019-traffic-scorecard-us/) annually due to traffic, aggregating to an missed opportunity cost of
about $100 billion. In addition, almost [1.5
million people](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjc0JGp7sTsAhXLo54KHc1uAAEQFjACegQIChAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asirt.org%2Fsafe-travel%2Froad-safety-facts%2F&usg=AOvVaw1sDVtexi8ZGuhwCrBnftxI) die in collisions yearly, with up to 50 million others suffering
from non-fatal injuries. Looking at it from a macro standpoint, car crashes
account for an economic loss of almost [**$1
trillion every year**](https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-economic-impact-of-traffic-accidents-20140529-story.html).
The auto
industry is undergoing a shift to vehicle autonomy. Concurrently, recent
advancements have been made in [car
connectivity](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095756418302289), a frontier that will (eventually) involve a system of
autonomous vehicles (AV) that communicate with each other. With driving
processes becoming automated and linked, transportation efficiency will
increase and the issues above will be mitigated.
A system of
connected AVs involves vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication across a network.
A key point of emphasis is that, for the maximum benefit, **all the vehicles
in the system must be fully autonomous.** Subsequently, the interactions
between self-driving cars will bring a plethora of positive outcomes.
Congestion can
drastically be alleviated through V2V communication. Connected AVs can send
traffic updates, detours, and make maneuvers quicker and safer than humans can.
In fact, a group of self-driving cars working in conjunction can reduce traffic
by [up
to 35%.](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190519191641.htm)
In addition,
with a system of connected cars, the number of accidents can be significantly reduced.
According to the NHTSA, V2V communication can be counted on to mitigate [~80%
of car crashes](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj8tuLX8cbsAhVKrZ4KHQPEAKEQFjACegQIBhAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.safercar.gov%2Fstaticfiles%2Fsafercar%2Fconnected%2FConnectedVehicleTechnologyFactSheet-081012.pdf&usg=AOvVaw35ailxuGQcKry-uLTypLRi). Combining this with the collision protection that comes
with AVs (check out former posts related to accident prevention on our blog), self-driving cars in
collaboration has potential to yield tremendous safety benefits.
For the positives
of a system of linked cars to be reaped, vehicles must operate on their own **without
any human intervention** - [human
error](https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/car-accidents-are-almost-always-due-to-human-error-50458) is the main factor in transportation inefficiency. As a result, a fully
autonomous connected system truly has the potential to solve all the problems stated
earlier.
When humans
drive, our brains process the plethora of surrounding visual cues in real-time
with almost 100 billion neurons, producing a data center level of compute while
consuming less power than a lightbulb. To mimic these capabilities, an AV must
be equipped with a platform that can generate a minimum of 75
Tera-Operations-Per-Second (TOPS) of compute for every watt of power
consumption. This unsolved optimization problem is known as the **visual
perception problem**.
Unfortunately,
systems in cars today can only enable partial autonomy. These platforms are
based on legacy technology and are not purpose-built to solve the visual
perception problem. A novel, unique solution must be brought to the market that
can enable fully autonomous vehicles.
We @ Recogni are developing such a solution.
Through leveraging key innovations in math, ASIC architecture, and AI, our
platform generates 100 TOPS of compute for every watt of power consumption,
clearly solving the visual perception problem outlined above. Because of these
capabilities, our product is indispensable for full autonomy. OEMs must
horizontally integrate our solution into their vehicles to allow society to
experience the plethora of benefits that come with connected AVs.
*To learn more
about Recogni, check out [www.recogni.com*](http://www.recogni.com)
By Sidhart Krishnamurthi, Product Management @ Recogni
