Yehuda Holtzman serves because the CEO of Cipia. The corporate makes a speciality of picture processing and AI, with intensive experience in analysis, implementation, and optimization of algorithms for embedded platforms and the in-car automotive business. Cipia is headquartered in Israel, with international places of work in the US and China.
Yehuda brings over 25 years of enterprise, technological and managerial expertise as a CEO of know-how and communications corporations to steer Cipia. In his most up-to-date function, Holtzman served as CEO of On Monitor Improvements Ltd. (OTI), a world supplier of close to subject communication (NFC) and cashless cost options. In prior years he served as CEO of Mobilogy, overseeing its sale to the American ESW Capital fund. Yehuda was additionally a co-founder of the software program firm ExploreGate, the place he served as CEO from 2012 to 2016, in addition to co-founder of MobileAccess, the place he served as President of the corporate by way of its acquisition by Corning Integrated In 2011. Yehuda has a grasp’s diploma in administration from Ben-Gurion College and a bachelor’s diploma in electronics engineering from the College of Brighton in England.
Are you able to elaborate on Cipia’s imaginative and prescient for the way forward for in-cabin sensing options and the way you propose to attain it?
Cipia’s long-term imaginative and prescient leverages the alternatives and enterprise fashions created by every step on the way in which to completely autonomous vehicles. Specifically, progresses by way of three important levels:
First, we’re targeted on decreasing accidents by monitoring the driving force and elevating the alarm if they’re drained or distracted. Subsequent, we’ll transfer to semi-autonomous autos, the place our methods turn into much more essential as drivers could have to shortly take again management of the automobile. Lastly, in absolutely autonomous autos, we’ll shift to enhancing the in-car expertise by way of know-how that acknowledges the automobile’s occupants and remembers their preferences.
How has your earlier expertise at OTI and different tech corporations ready you in your function at Cipia, and what are the most important challenges you’ve confronted since changing into CEO of Cipia?
My expertise managing a number of development corporations has well-prepared me to steer Cipia, particularly throughout this vital section within the firm’s lifecycle. I’m notably aware of the challenges and alternatives that include this stage. The twin deal with each increasing the corporate and establishing a sustainable development technique is important. For example, since I joined Cipia, we’ve got elevated our gross margin whereas greater than doubling the variety of automotive producers amongst our prospects. Our objective – and our greatest problem – is to be the chief in our subject, and one among our key benefits on this technology-driven market is Cipia’s intensive expertise with laptop imaginative and prescient and AI. The chance to use my experience in a market phase targeted on saving lives makes my work particularly significant.
How does Cipia’s know-how differentiate itself from different driver and occupancy monitoring methods available on the market?
Cipia’s laptop imaginative and prescient AI is constructed on intensive expertise with edge processing, which has lean {hardware} necessities as a constraint from the design section. This implies our algorithms are optimized to require fewer {hardware} sources, enabling deployment in methods that finally price much less to our prospects and allow wider deployment.
Are you able to clarify some great benefits of lean edge processing in Cipia’s options?
The benefit of lean edge processing is twofold. First, it facilitates decrease system prices since fewer {hardware} sources are required. Second, it brings extra capabilities to the sting, that means that extra processing can occur domestically, guaranteeing no connectivity is required, and the info doesn’t must be transmitted elsewhere for processing. On the planet of automotive security methods, it is a onerous requirement. It permits low latency, security, and safety.
With distracted driving being a number one explanation for accidents, how efficient are Cipia’s options in decreasing such incidents?
Very.
To provide only one instance of the info we’ve seen, based on the director of transportation at a significant beverage firm, earlier than utilizing Cipia, an awesome 86% of their accidents had been attributed to human error. This firm carried out Cipia’s resolution designed for fleets and noticed a 90% discount in telephone use whereas driving and a 70% lower in accidents.
How does Cipia guarantee its applied sciences adjust to the newest GSR and Euro NCAP necessities?
Cipia employs complete validation strategies, together with on-track and on-road testing of its choices, to make sure full compliance with regulatory and security commonplace necessities. Amassing the required information based on the varied protocols takes time and sources, however that’s a part of the profit a long-time supplier of driver monitoring methods affords. We’re additionally a member of the Euro NCAP tier 2 DMS suppliers workgroup and are very happy with our contribution to security by way of this necessary work.
Past security, what are some potential purposes of Cipia’s AI know-how that might improve the driving expertise?
Cipia’s underlying software program permits personalized experiences for drivers and passengers. Among the options automobile producers can implement with Cipia embody mouth monitoring for voice instructions, guaranteeing the automobile responds completely to the driving force. Infotainment interplay detection, which tailors automobile controls based mostly on which consumer is interacting.
Driver’s gaze detection would forestall distractions by pausing video content material when the driving force is peeking on the display. These are just some of the handfuls of options enabled by laptop imaginative and prescient AI that might improve the driving expertise.
How does Cipia make sure the privateness and safety of the info processed by its in-cabin sensing options?
Cipia’s embedded options are absolutely personal and safe. Our options analyze the video stream in real-time, translating it to metadata. No pictures are saved, recorded, or despatched from the machine. For TSPs and Fleets, the shopper could select whether or not to obtain text-based alerts solely or embody video snippets earlier than and after an occasion. Underneath each circumstances, Cipia doesn’t obtain or retailer video information of any form.
What developments do you foresee within the automotive AI and laptop imaginative and prescient business over the following decade?
Wanting ahead, I consider the business will proceed to deal with security, however we’ll additionally see a shift in the direction of enhancing the general in-car expertise. This might embody monitoring important indicators, detecting if a driver is below the affect (even when they don’t seem to be actively driving), and bettering youngster security options like detecting if a toddler has been left within the automobile.
We’re additionally more likely to see extra personalization, with AI methods studying particular person behaviors and preferences to create an optimum surroundings for every consumer. Nonetheless, it is necessary to notice that the business continues to be exploring these potentialities, and nobody is aware of precisely what is going to work greatest.
A serious development we’re seeing is a shift in automobile producers’ enterprise fashions. They’re shifting away from merely promoting a automobile to promoting a set of options and providers on a recurring foundation. That is much like how the cell phone business developed from promoting gadgets for making calls to promoting platforms for apps and providers. This shift presents new alternatives and challenges for corporations like Cipia as we work to offer worth on this altering panorama.
Thanks for the good interview, readers who want to study extra ought to go to Cipia.