Actor Kunal Nayyar plays astrophysicist and super-nerd Raj Koothrappali on the hit comedy series The Big Bang Theory. It seems only fitting, then, that Nayyar be asked to host the first-ever Audi Summit held in Barcelona, Spain. The Summit is an event intended to showcase where Audi is as a company, and where it’s headed. Both have to do with a lot of impressive technology; the sort of stuff that even non-car-nerds can get excited to geek out over.
Being among the more than 2,000 invited “friends and family” of Audi, I was given the opportunity to wander the exposition and get a clearer understanding of what makes this company tick. There were three particularly geek-worthy things that stood out.
Audi AI
Audi is a company that’s been on a seriously positive roll lately. Long gone are the worrisome days of the 1980s where the brand was mired in an unfortunate smear campaign over its vehicles. Quality, performance, design and technology have all become Audi hallmarks in recent years, attributing to impressive segment growth in the premium car markets they compete.
At the Audi Summit, there was much discussion around the future of the brand with Audi AI being one of the most prevalent buzz terms. Utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine-learning technology, Audi strives to make its future (and in the case of the upcoming A8 sedan, current) offerings proactively safer and more convenient for drivers.
Audi has already been incorporating navigation systems that learn from and “observe” the surroundings to interact with both the electronic suspension, and even the adaptive cruise control (slowing the car down automatically as it drives into towns with reduced speed limits).
These functions have been further enhanced to work with a myriad of additional sensors (including an automotive first with laser scanning) to create the first Level 3 Autonomous Car with the new A8. This means the car is capable of collecting the vast amount of data from all the vehicle’s sensors, couple it with pre-existing information (such as that in the navigation system), and compute it, nearly in real-time, in a control unit (called a zFAS) to safely drive the car amidst dense traffic.
Audi AI will also advance machine learning through the compilation of data over time, as well as through emerging vehicle-to-vehicle communication.
More impressive still (or perhaps just more freaky), is that as future Audis continue to learn, they will also develop empathy toward the vehicle’s passengers. The car will begin to anticipate the whims and desires of its occupants, making changes on the fly, sometimes without even needing to be asked. Additionally, it’ll act as a personal assistant in some respects, suggesting various services and then book them autonomously on the driver’s behalf. The more the car learns, the more capable and helpful it becomes.
Smart Factories
Unsurprisingly, if a company is creating high-tech products that make good use of smart machines, they’re also going to make good use of helpful machines for the assembly process.
And while the use of robotics and computerized manufacturing is far from new, Audi has begun utilizing robots to do more than single-step assembly tasks. Warehouses and parts inventories are managed and moved by robotic trollies, and even finished, whole vehicles can be moved and safely stacked by powerful robotic transporter units.
Lest this all seems like the robots are rendering humans in the assembly process redundant, know that Audi’s workers are being assisted (not replaced) in their duties too with technology. We had an opportunity to try an exo-skeleton device that enables a worker to move from one spot to another to perform various tasks, shifting from a seated position to a standing position, without ever needing a hand to move a chair – or even the chair itself. The ability to easily sit down to perform a task, then stand to retrieve another part reduces strain on the worker, improving productivity.
Plus, with globalisation having long since become a reality for automotive producers like Audi, the challenge of effectively communicating established best-practices can be significant. But it can also be minimized through Virtual Reality technology that enables new workers to observe and experience optimized settings digitally, even if they’re on the other side of the planet. We witnessed an example of an existing logistics training session that depicted a facility in Europe that could help guide employees in a new plant around the world in Mexico or China.
Audi is Going to the Moon Next Year
Having teamed up with telecommunications giant Vodafone, Audi is sending a small rover to the moon in 2018. What’s even better is that the quattro rover will be on a mission to locate the Apollo 17 rover to see what’s happened to it during the fifty years it’s been parked on the moon since its abandonment.
While it’s pretty cool that Audi is sending a rover into space next year, what’s even more significant about this project is the ability for Audi to hone its skills in developing 3D-printed aluminum components. With various components on-hand to hold and see, it became clear that incredible weight savings are a primary benefit of this technology. The complete quattro rover, roughly the size of a large suitcase, weighs in at just 45 kg, fully equipped (the aluminum structure weighs just 25 kg).
3D aluminum printing also means improved strength and integrity of complex pieces. We were shown aluminum components with delicate, hollow appendages that would be impossible if not for this technique. Even the quattro rover’s complex-looking wheels are impossibly light, yet super strong, and 3D-printed.
With far fewer failure points and no complex rivets or connection points that can loosen or fail (or add weight), long-term reliability and durability of components is another significant benefit to this form of parts development. And considering 3D-printed aluminum components cannot yet be certified for on-road automotive use, the Mission to the Moon project enables Audi’s engineers to perfect the technology in a meaningful way that can someday be applied to both racing and passenger car use.
While far from the only high-tech stories presented by Audi at the Summit, these three nevertheless showcase the breadth of thinking, resources and creativity the company employs that will eventually have meaningful impacts on the lives of Audi’s buyers.
For many motorists, the impending onslaught of driverless cars and further automation brings with it more than a little trepidation about the loss of the joy of driving itself. Still, it’s unquestionable the advancements being made by companies like Audi will to work toward safer and more efficient driving experiences.
