Samsung, Harman unveil in-vehicle driver alert system

When a driver feels drowsy and his eyelids start slipping, a red light flickers on his dashboard with a warning sound.

That’s the key feature of the latest in-vehicle sensing and intervention system of Ready Care jointly developed by Samsung Electronics Co. and its US subsidiary Harman International Industries Inc.

The system is an upgraded version of Harman’s Ready Care, the camera of which detects and analyzes the activity of a driver’s eyes, nose and lips. It also measures cognitive and vital signs to determine the levels of focus and attention.

Samsung unveiled the technology that uses neuroscience, artificial intelligence and machine learning at CES 2023.

Harman is in the final stages of talks to supply the Ready Care solution to a leading carmaker and it stands a high chance of winning the order within this year, according to industry sources on Friday.

“The order, if clinched, would mean that one of the automotive devices we have been jointly developing with Harman finally reaches the commercialization phase,” said a Samsung Electronics official.

At the Samsung Electronics booth at CES 2023, a Samsung employee gave a demonstration driving of a car equipped with the latest Ready Care system.

 
Samsung has lagged LG Electronics Inc. in the automotive electronics market, particularly in the segments of in-vehicle infotainment.

Since its 2016 purchase of Harman, Samsung has been aggressive in its in-vehicle software development. It has focused on sharpening Harman’s image recognition and deep learning technologies.

Signaling Samsung Group’s push into the automotive electronics market, Samsung Display Co. showcased automotive displays, New Digital Cockpit, to leading carmakers at the world's largest tech show.

It was the first time the Samsung unit unveiled a new display model with bendable technology.

The display can transform its form from curved to straight so that the driver can improve concentration while driving. In autonomous driving mode, the driver can use the display as a large entertainment monitor.

At CES 2023, Samsung also showed off a 13.4-inch round display that fits into a curved dashboard for the premium subcompact MINI Cooper and other models.

A Samsung Display official said that a major carmaker will adopt the circular display for its upcoming models sooner rather than later, without identifying it.

Write to Ji-Eun Jeong at jeong@hankyung.com
Yeonhee Kim edited this article