Since 2019 the firm has been developing its “cooperative intelligence” not only with autonomous vehicles, but also with overseas technology institutions

Car maker Honda has been working on research and development of what it calls “cooperative intelligence” (CI) that can prevent vehicle collisions, enhance autonomous vehicle operation, and help humans improve control of mobility devices.

In Joso City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, the firm is currently conducting technology demonstrations as a proof of concept of its CI-powered micro-mobility vehicle/robot. Meanwhile, further research will be conducted with the latest AI and ML methods in:

  • machine recognition of the surrounding environment
  • cultivation of cooperative behavior with other objects in that environment

The planning, design, development and testing processes will involve work carried out beyond the confines of the laboratory — to allow more flexibility and creative freedom — especially to foster learning among external research associates from academia and industry. This is part of the norm in the firm, which has been working with technology institutes from other countries since 2019 — many of whom have played key roles in the research and development of CI and mobility intelligence.

By pursuing joint research programs with faculty and students specializing in cutting-edge AI and automated driving technologies, Honda has accelerated research and development of CI and also contributed to the fostering of researchers that can play a role in future AI research.

On 11 Sep 2024, Honda announced partnerships with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) as part of this tradition. With the help of engineers and researchers from these technology institutes, testing of driving assistance and automated driving technologies will also be made available in the suburbs of Delhi and in Mumbai. The voluminous traffic conditions in such cities can offer a broad range of challenging and unpredictable scenarios for testing CI.

With the experience gained from the joint research, Honda expects to refine CI so that it can be applied and adapted to more regions of the world to enhance driver assistance and automated driving technologies.