Yehuda Holtzman serves because the CEO of Cipia. The corporate focuses on 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 world workplaces in the USA 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 position, Holtzman served as CEO of On Observe Improvements Ltd. (OTI), a worldwide supplier of close to area 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 via 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 intend to realize 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 automobiles. Specifically, progresses via three most important phases:
First, we’re targeted on lowering 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 grow to be much more essential as drivers might must rapidly take again management of the car. Lastly, in absolutely autonomous autos, we’ll shift to enhancing the in-car expertise via know-how that acknowledges the automotive’s occupants and remembers their preferences.
How has your earlier expertise at OTI and different tech corporations ready you on your position at Cipia, and what are the most important challenges you’ve confronted since turning into CEO of Cipia?
My expertise managing a number of development corporations has well-prepared me to steer Cipia, particularly throughout this essential part within the firm’s lifecycle. I’m significantly accustomed to the challenges and alternatives that include this stage. The twin give attention to each increasing the corporate and establishing a sustainable development technique is crucial. As an illustration, since I joined Cipia, we now have 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 area, and one among our key benefits on this technology-driven market is Cipia’s intensive expertise with pc imaginative and prescient and AI. The chance to use my experience in a market section targeted on saving lives makes my work particularly significant.
How does Cipia’s know-how differentiate itself from different driver and occupancy monitoring methods in the marketplace?
Cipia’s pc imaginative and prescient AI is constructed on intensive expertise with edge processing, which has lean {hardware} necessities as a constraint from the design part. This implies our algorithms are optimized to require fewer {hardware} sources, enabling deployment in methods that finally value much less to our prospects and allow wider deployment.
Are you able to clarify the 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, which means that extra processing can occur domestically, guaranteeing no connectivity is required, and the information doesn’t should be transmitted elsewhere for processing. On this planet of automotive security methods, this can be a arduous 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 lowering such incidents?
Very.
To provide only one instance of the information we’ve seen, in response to the director of transportation at a serious beverage firm, earlier than utilizing Cipia, an amazing 86% of their accidents had been attributed to human error. This firm carried out Cipia’s answer designed for fleets and noticed a 90% discount in cellphone 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 customary necessities. Gathering the required knowledge in response to the varied protocols takes time and sources, however that’s a part of the profit a long-time supplier of driver monitoring methods presents. We’re additionally a member of the Euro NCAP tier 2 DMS suppliers workgroup and are very happy with our contribution to security via this essential work.
Past security, what are some potential functions of Cipia’s AI know-how that would improve the driving expertise?
Cipia’s underlying software program permits personalized experiences for drivers and passengers. A number of the options automotive producers can implement with Cipia embody mouth monitoring for voice instructions, guaranteeing the car responds solely to the driving force. Infotainment interplay detection, which tailors car controls primarily based on which person is interacting.
Driver’s gaze detection would stop distractions by pausing video content material when the driving force is peeking on the display screen. These are only a few of the handfuls of options enabled by pc imaginative and prescient AI that might improve the driving expertise.
How does Cipia make sure the privateness and safety of the information 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 photos are saved, recorded, or despatched from the machine. For TSPs and Fleets, the shopper might select whether or not to obtain text-based alerts solely or embody video snippets earlier than and after an occasion. Beneath each instances, Cipia doesn’t obtain or retailer video knowledge of any sort.
What traits do you foresee within the automotive AI and pc imaginative and prescient business over the subsequent decade?
Wanting ahead, I imagine the business will proceed to give attention to security, however we’ll additionally see a shift in direction of enhancing the general in-car expertise. This might embody monitoring important indicators, detecting if a driver is beneath the affect (even when they are not actively driving), and bettering baby security options like detecting if a toddler has been left within the automotive.
We’re additionally more likely to see extra personalization, with AI methods studying particular person behaviors and preferences to create an optimum atmosphere for every person. Nonetheless, it is essential to notice that the business remains to be exploring these prospects, and nobody is aware of precisely what’s going to work greatest.
A serious pattern we’re seeing is a shift in automotive producers’ enterprise fashions. They’re shifting away from merely promoting a car to promoting a set of options and providers on a recurring foundation. That is just like how the cell phone business advanced 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.
