NetraDyne Introduces Video Safety System With Artificial Intelligence
Startup firm NetraDyne Inc. has launched its initial technology offering for the transportation industry — a video-based safety platform that combines onboard cameras with artificial intelligence to provide a more complete view of driver performance.
The company said its Driver-i platform, which uses an in-cab device equipped with four cameras, is designed to help fleets improve safety by tracking and analyzing driver performance during an entire trip, not just during critical driving events such as a crash or hard braking incident.
The cameras track traffic lights, lane markings, other vehicles on the road and pedestrians, while NetraDyne’s software uses a form of artificial intelligence to interpret that visual information and determine how the road environment influenced the driver’s actions.
“That is ultimately the power of A.I. — to be a substitute or surrogate for a human reviewer,” said NetraDyne President Sandeep Pandya, who added that the vast majority of video captured around the world is never actually reviewed by a human. “Being able to use artificial intelligence to eliminate that back-end reviewer delivers an efficiency we think that the industry is waiting for.”
Adam Kahn, vice president of fleet business at NetraDyne, said the company’s technology provides additional data to help fleets improve how they track both good and bad driving.
The absence of hard braking or a sharp turn, for example, does not necessarily equal safe driving. Kahn said Driver-i can recognize events such as running a red light, which would not trigger an alert under a system based solely on the vehicle’s movements.
The additional information also enables fleets to implement a safety program that “really recognizes great driving,” Kahn added.
For example, an abrupt maneuver to avoid a potential crash might register as a critical event under some telematics systems, but a video-enabled analysis of the truck’s surroundings can show that the driver actually made a good decision under the circumstances.
For driver coaching, that additional detail “changes the conversation with much more context,” said Kahn, who previously held marketing positions at SmartDrive Systems and Qualcomm Inc.
San Diego-based NetraDyne, founded in 2015, said its platform calculates driver performance scorecards and sends alerts to fleet managers when a driver is at risk.
“We believe that vision-based solutions are revolutionizing driver analytics by individualizing the driver, leveraging their strengths and identifying best practices,” said Avneesh Agrawal, NetraDyne’s co-founder and CEO. “The Driver-i platform protects commercial vehicle drivers, which are a fleet’s most valuable asset. Our solution fosters collaboration, recognition, and retention; all of which have a positive influence on a fleet’s bottom line.”
