PlusProtect AI Technology enhances Next Generation Safety Systems
Plus, a leading provider of highly automated and autonomous driving software solutions, announced today the launch of a new and breakthrough technology offering called PlusProtect™.
PlusProtect is AI-based software that enhances next-generation safety systems for all vehicle types with industry-leading functionalities like high performance automatic collision mitigation.
Safety systems help contribute to enhanced road safety. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 60,000 rear-end crashes a year involve a heavy vehicle striking another vehicle.
PlusProtect is a scalable technology that allows global Tier 1 automotive suppliers and vehicle manufacturers to offer greatly enhanced safety features in their next-generation safety systems. These features would address, if not exceed, the performance requirements mandated for automatic emergency braking (AEB) on all passenger vehicles and light trucks by September 2029. AEB is also expected to be mandated in heavy vehicles (gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds).
Key features offered by PlusProtect include high performance AEB, expanded-coverage lane departure warning, traffic jam assist, predictive fuel optimization, self-calibrated sensors, and over-the-air updates. Additional options include GSR-compliant features and an easily-extracted event data recorder that can provide a recording of a vehicle’s operational data immediately preceding and following a safety critical event.
The highly advanced features in PlusProtect are made possible by using cameras and radars to see objects more than approximately 650 feet (200 meters) ahead. Compared to safety systems which react to obstacles in its lane, PlusProtect has full situational awareness to understand where the vehicle is located and what objects are in its own lane as well as nearby lanes.
PlusProtect technology helps to significantly reduce false positives and can also handle AEB on curved roads. Combined with Plus’s powerful, proprietary AI-based autonomous driving software and cutting-edge perception technology, the vehicle has a remarkably accurate view of the world around it. It is also able to predict the movement of surrounding vehicles and obstacles and assist the driver by reacting quickly and automatically in order to help mitigate potential forward collisions.
“While improved road safety underlies all of our solutions, we created PlusProtect specifically to enable Tier 1s and OEMs to build market-leading next-generation safety systems. Features such as high-performance collision mitigation not only necessitate a new technology approach, adopting PlusProtect as part of the integrated safety solutions also helps them pave the way for higher levels of automation in their product portfolio,” said Shawn Kerrigan, COO and Co-Founder at Plus.
PlusProtect is built on a flexible architecture that adapts easily to different sensor configurations and handles variations in platform, such as U.S. and Europe truck designs and both left- and right-hand driving. Long range cameras continuously auto-calibrate, offering cost-effective and accurate depth at extended ranges. With global deployments across the U.S., Europe and Australia, PlusProtect offers more advanced capabilities and reliability across diverse applications.
Kerrigan emphasized that advanced safety technologies like PlusProtect do not replace skilled, alert drivers exercising safe driving techniques. Proactive, comprehensive driver training is also essential. He noted that responsibility for safe vehicle operation always rests with the driver and that limitations exist. Drivers should become familiar with these limitations before operating any equipped vehicle.
