Increasing Trust: Engineering Autonomous Vehicles that Are Safe and Secure

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article | Increasing Trust: Engineering Autonomous Vehicles that Are Safe and SecureThe concept and aspiration for fully autonomous vehicles has been around for at least 40 years. The reality in 2019 depends on who you talk to; it’s either here today, a few years away, or a decade or more before they truly become mainstream.

The Society of Automotive Engineers has defined six levels of autonomy from level 0 – 5. While manufacturers have been working hard on the development of autonomous vehicles, the reality is that today the vast majority of vehicles for sale are only capable of providing level 2 assistance features. Level 2 automated driving is defined as systems that provide steering and brake/acceleration support, as well as lane centering and adaptive cruise control. The human at the wheel must be driving and constantly supervising the automated features. A few OEM’s in-market today have been working towards Level 3 & 4 automation, meaning the car can take over most driving functions , but the driver must still be able to intervene at any time.

For most automakers, in order to reach this goal, incremental technological and commodity changes will not be enough. Instead, to achieve the full road map of autonomy will require a transition to a complete automotive platform inclusive of AI-enabled microprocessors, software, new architectures and levels of performance to be deployed scalably.

Navigating the Path to Pervasive Autonomy

Because of the emphasis on commodity-based engineering, workflow in a typical OEM has a very long lead time and cycle. Worst case cycle times have ideas begin in the research factory maturing over several years leading to product engineering where they take around 3-4.5 years.

For these main reasons and many smaller ones, this approach is not scalable nor cost effective as we move into the 21st century.

One of the cornerstones of the new architecture is the concept of a layered software-based platform which allows for the addition and deletion of software defined capability in each layer (see below). This facilitates features to run as “applications” executed on top of the service platform like PC or mobile phone which provide the ability to change (extend or restrict) the performance.

The impact of these rationalization and transformation initiatives are providing significant value for the OEM as well as the end-consumer:

  • The amount of wiring can be reduced (cost)
  • This allows further weight reduction of the car
  • Increased performance and/or driving range (performance/emissions)
  • Reduce manufacturing cost and time.

The end-picture and future benchmark to consider is provided by Tesla. Through digital connectivity within the car an ultimate level of rationalization will bring cabling requirements from about 5 km of wiring today to 100 m in a Tesla Model Y.

Tesla also recognized early that hardware rationalization and connectivity capabilities outside of the vehicle system would be paramount to unlock and accelerate the uptake of the ACES (Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared Mega-Trends) trends, which would ultimately not only provide the revenue streams of the future but also leverage AI benefits across the different functionalities inside and outside of a vehicle.

The commercial confirmation and practical demonstration of this flexibility can be seen at Tesla where they have already established this software working environment and pushing new autonomous and AI benchmarks as announced in April 2019.

In a world of static automotive features, closed systems and changes made through recalls and other legacy methods, such an architecture is viable. However, to achieve the three automotive pillars of being safe, secure and smart, fully autonomous vehicles need to have a more open, integrated hardware and software systems architecture vs. siloed and disconnected. Autonomous vehicles must possess architectures that allow subsystems to work together to harness and exchange data in real-time to make intelligent decisions.
The sooner this transformation happens, the sooner Level 5 autonomous vehicles will become a reality.

Solution for Autonomous Driving

Wave Computing, for instance, offers a full range of SoC solutions designed specifically for the automotive industry. The company’s MIPS technology-based ISO-26262 certified processors enable OEMs to design, develop and scale their vehicle software architectures in a secure environment. The architecture includes hardware multithreading with support for up to four threads and the ability to run two instructions simultaneously during every clock cycle. And Wave Computing’s TritonAI 64 IP platform enables developers to address a wide range of automotive AI use cases with a single comprehensive platform, including optimized AI libraries.

Whether next year, five years or a decade, the dream of fully autonomous driving will become a reality. To fulfill that dream, however, automotive manufacturers must make major changes to their automotive architectures and supply chains. Transforming what was once a rigid hardware platform of siloed features and functions, to a fully systems-based software platform won’t happen overnight, but it’s a critical component to delivering Level 5 autonomous vehicles that are safe, secure and smart.

About the Author

Steve Brightfield, Senior Director of CPU and AI IP, MIPS Machines Div, Wave Computing. For more information, please visit www.wavecomp.ai.

Learn About Alarm System Technology

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Alarm System|Learn About Alarm System TechnologyNearly 70 percent of the homes in the United States don’t have a security system in place. Without a home security system, you are giving burglars an invitation to come in and steal whatever they want. Millions of home burglaries occur each year, which is why taking preventative measures to protect your home is important.

Learning about and investing in the latest alarm system technology is crucial. While this security technology will be expensive, it is definitely a great investment. The more you know about how to navigate the world of alarm system technology, the easier it will be for you to find the right elements for your residence.

Here are some of the things you need to know about alarm system technology.

Choosing a Smart Hub is Important

Do you already have a number of smart home devices in place? If so, being able to pair them with your new security system is a good idea. The only way to accomplish this is by investing in a smart hub. In essence, a smart hub acts as the centralized control system for your smart home. With this hub, you can control everything from your lights to your security system with the sound of your voice.

Instead of rushing out and buying the first smart hub you find, take some time to do a bit of research. Making sure the security hub in question is compatible with your devices and security system.


Monitoring is a Must For Modern Security Systems

One of the main goals you should have when having a security system installed is protecting your family and your possessions. If a burglary does occur, you want the authorities to be notified immediately. A security alarm will be useless if it is not being monitored, which is why working with a company like Alarm Grid to get this monitoring is so important.

A security system with monitoring will dial out to the authorities and the security company as soon as the alarm is tripped. This means that the burglars will be caught and brought to justice for robbing your home. The extra money you pay for this monitoring will be worth it considering how helpful it can be in the long run.StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Alarm System|Learn About Alarm System Technology

Choose a Security System You Can Easily Operate

When trying to find the right security system for your home, be sure to do your homework. Ideally, you want to choose a system that is easy to operate. If a system is hard to operate, the chances of mistakes happening will increase substantially.

Looking at the reviews a particular security system has can be helpful. With this information, you can start to narrow down the selection of systems at your disposal. Failing to do this type of research can lead to problems in the future.

Allow Professionals to Install Your New Security System

One of the biggest mistakes a homeowner can make is trying to install their own security system. Rather than deal with the problems this can cause, you need to hire experienced professionals to help you out.

An Office Safety Checklist Everyone Needs

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Office Safety|An Office Safety Checklist Everyone NeedsAn office is a place which seems like it is super safe. There are no moving vehicles, no heights, and no moving machinery. However, like any other workplace, there are still safety issues which we face as office workers. Today we are going to share with you the essential safety guidelines that you need for your office this year.

Protect the body

The most important tips to consider are the ones which will directly help to keep you safe and protected all year long. Here are the top tips you need to follow to keep yourself safe at work:

  • Sit upright – There is nothing worse than slouching at your desk. We know it might be comfier at the time, but after some time it will hurt your back and can cause real health issues.
  • Look where you are going – This might seem obvious, but with most of us burying our heads in our phones, it is important to reiterate this fact. Look ahead at where you are going to avoid tripping over and having to contact social security disability lawyers for compensation for an injury.
  • Don’t run – ahhh, the old school adage. As kids, we thought out teachers were killjoys for saying this, but as a safety tip, it is paramount.
  • Hold the handrail – For some reason, a lot of us don’t bother holding the handrail when climbing up and down the stairs. It might seem unnecessary, but if you lose your footing you could seriously hurt yourself if you don’t hold on.
  • Get up and move – it is important now and again to stand up and move around. This will allow blood to circulate and reduces the risk of blood clots.

Equipment and Furniture

As well as us, the second most common reason for accidents at work is issues surrounding equipment and furniture in the office. It is important for us to take the chance to make the office safer in this regard:

  • Move cables – it is incredibly important if you are to stay safe in the office that there is no risk of falling over loose cables on the floor. When installing cables, there are many ways to keep them tidy and away from the open floor such as cable organisers and ties.
  • Try not to eat and drink – this is more of a risk for the computer itself than you, but when you eat and drink often at your desk, you run the risk of spilling food or drink onto your machine and breaking it.
  • Close your drawers – one simple thing you should always do is keep your drawers closed. This will make life a lot easier and will ensure that you are able to avoid walking into your drawers and hurting yourself.
  • Don’t store heavy items high up – This is an incredibly important one to consider. When storing your items in cupboards and drawers never store heavy items in high up places. This can be a huge risk if you try to take items down because if you lose your grip they could fall onto you and hurt you.

These handy safety tips will keep you happy and healthy in the office all year long.

Winter Is Coming, So Protect Your Business With Its Very Own (Fire)Wall

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Game of Thrones fans across the world have spent years marveling at Jon Snow’s dedication to his all-important wall. While business lessons are probably few and far between in Game of Thrones, his dedication to keeping his country safe is one that any company should take on board. You might not need a physical brick wall outside your office, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still use a wall of some kind to keep your company safe.

Virus and spyware protection services like those offered by Charles are a first port of call for any company that wants to keep their data and customers safe. And, once you put managed security services like these in place, you can bet that a firewall will soon follow.

Unlike Jon Snow’s physical wall, Wikipedia describes a firewall as ‘…a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.’ But, what exactly can a security measure like this do for your company?

Your first line of defense

The GOT wall is the first line of defense in case of attack, and your business network firewall is no different. Viruses or malware on a business computer can have a catastrophic impact on your company’s operations and reputation. In fact, malicious malware that steals customer information could cripple your company altogether. In a sense, a firewall works as a shield against attacks like these. Whether you put one in place or trust a managed security service to do it for you, this is a way to improve security with little real effort on your part.

A way to stop anyone getting in (or out)

Like any good wall, a firewall provides a solid support to stop things getting either in or out of your company network. Strong firewalls will inspect the flow of traffic both ways, monitoring and blocking viruses as and when they arise. A firewall can also prevent unauthorized websites to ensure no unwanted pages find their way into your office. As well as keeping your company safe, then, a well-installed firewall can keep distractions like social media and personal browsing well clear of your work environment, and can make for increased productivity all around.

pasted image 0 5A safe place from which to spot trouble

Our GOT favorites continually patrol their wall for any sign of trouble, and this is yet another benefit that a firewall can bring to you. Far from just blocking viruses as they arise, a firewall can work wonders for foreseeing and even warning you of coming trouble. For instance, any firewall will log potential intrusions or unauthorized activity, thus allowing you to check out possible problems before they arise. By foreguessing and blocking malicious applications, your firewall can even do a pretty good job at its own patrol out of office hours.

For these reasons and more, a firewall is vital for security in any business setting. As a company owner, you should, therefore, go forth and be the watcher on the firewall.

Business Risks and How to Prepare for Them

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article | Business Risks and How to Prepare for ThemBusiness is a risky game and one threat that arises that you weren’t ready for can have a devastating impact. Risk management plays a big role in the finance department who are constantly assessing for risks that could impact the company’s cash flow or investments. However, there are a number of other risks that all departments have a view of that can cause big problems if not assessed and prepared for in advance.

Data Breaches

One of the biggest risks to all businesses in modern times if the risk of being the victim of a cyber-attack. Criminals are on the hunt for a range of information from businesses. The most common data they go after are customers personal details. These could include, names, addresses, bank details, and credit card numbers.

There can be huge fines and PR consequences if businesses are found to have been incompetent with their data management. Another piece of information that criminals are looking for is IP information. Stealing intellectual property is becoming very common now and businesses need to have the right systems and processes in place to protect IP that could be worth millions or billions of dollars.

Injured workers

It’s estimated that every 7 seconds a worker is injured in their place of work. Many of the injuries sustained are avoidable but it costs businesses millions of dollars and time in lost production to compensate workers for losses.

Among the questions employees regularly have about workers compensation are ‘how long does it take to receive workers comp’ and ‘are workers comp benefits taxable’. Being clear with your employees about the processes and health and safety procedures you have in place will help to minimize the risk of people being injured at work. This, in turn, will lead to fewer claims if people are more aware of the safety precautions that they need to take.

Product Recalls

There have been many high profile cases of product recalls in recent years, one of the main ones being the Volkswagen emissions scandal. This originally began in 2015 when the EPA found that Volkswagen had been deliberately tampering with their emissions outputs.

There is no limit to the damage a product recall can have on a business. Some businesses have been so badly affected that they have declared bankruptcy and closed down. Implementing tight quality controls and regularly auditing processes, machinery and staff are good ways to ensure that the risk of having a product recall issue is lowered.

Even if your business has never had a product recall issue, you should have a process in place in case this does ever happen. Along with how you will identify a defective product you must think about how you will get the message out to consumers that they need to return the product and what your policy will be on refunds or exchanges. Just as important will also be your PR strategy and how you manage a potential customer or industry backlash.