Yehuda Holtzman serves because the CEO of Cipia. The corporate focuses on picture processing and AI, with in depth experience in analysis, implementation, and optimization of algorithms for embedded platforms and the in-car automotive trade. Cipia is headquartered in Israel, with world workplaces in the US and China.
Yehuda brings over 25 years of enterprise, technological and managerial expertise as a CEO of know-how and communications firms to steer Cipia. In his most up-to-date position, Holtzman served as CEO of On Monitor Improvements Ltd. (OTI), a world supplier of close to area communication (NFC) and cashless fee 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 attain it?
Cipia’s long-term imaginative and prescient leverages the alternatives and enterprise fashions created by every step on the best way to completely autonomous vehicles. Particularly, progresses via three important levels:
First, we’re centered on lowering accidents by monitoring the motive force and elevating the alarm if they’re drained or distracted. Subsequent, we’ll transfer to semi-autonomous autos, the place our programs develop into much more essential as drivers could have to rapidly take again management of the car. Lastly, in totally autonomous autos, we’ll shift to enhancing the in-car expertise via know-how that acknowledges the automobile’s occupants and remembers their preferences.
How has your earlier expertise at OTI and different tech firms ready you on your position at Cipia, and what are the most important challenges you’ve confronted since changing into CEO of Cipia?
My expertise managing a number of progress firms 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 deal with each increasing the corporate and establishing a sustainable progress technique is important. As an illustration, since I joined Cipia, we’ve got elevated our gross margin whereas greater than doubling the variety of automotive producers amongst our clients. Our aim – and our largest problem – is to be the chief in our area, and one in every of our key benefits on this technology-driven market is Cipia’s in depth expertise with laptop imaginative and prescient and AI. The chance to use my experience in a market phase centered on saving lives makes my work particularly significant.
How does Cipia’s know-how differentiate itself from different driver and occupancy monitoring programs available on the market?
Cipia’s laptop imaginative and prescient AI is constructed on in depth 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} assets, enabling deployment in programs that finally price much less to our clients 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} assets are required. Second, it brings extra capabilities to the sting, that means that extra processing can occur regionally, guaranteeing no connectivity is required, and the information doesn’t should be transmitted elsewhere for processing. On the earth of automotive security programs, this can be a exhausting requirement. It allows low latency, security, and safety.
With distracted driving being a number one reason for accidents, how efficient are Cipia’s options in lowering such incidents?
Very.
To present only one instance of the information we’ve seen, based on the director of transportation at a serious beverage firm, earlier than utilizing Cipia, an amazing 86% of their accidents have 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 customary necessities. Accumulating the required knowledge based on the varied protocols takes time and assets, however that’s a part of the profit a long-time supplier of driver monitoring programs affords. 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 might improve the driving expertise?
Cipia’s underlying software program allows personalized experiences for drivers and passengers. A number of the options automobile producers can implement with Cipia embody mouth monitoring for voice instructions, guaranteeing the car responds completely to the motive force. Infotainment interplay detection, which tailors car controls based mostly on which consumer is interacting.
Driver’s gaze detection would forestall distractions by pausing video content material when the motive force is peeking on the display. These are just some of the handfuls of options enabled by laptop imaginative and prescient AI that will 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 totally 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 system. For TSPs and Fleets, the client could 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 type.
What traits do you foresee within the automotive AI and laptop imaginative and prescient trade over the subsequent decade?
Trying ahead, I consider the trade will proceed to deal with security, however we’ll additionally see a shift in direction of enhancing the general in-car expertise. This might embody monitoring very important indicators, detecting if a driver is below the affect (even when they are not 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 programs studying particular person behaviors and preferences to create an optimum atmosphere for every consumer. Nonetheless, it is essential to notice that the trade continues 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 automobile 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 much like how the cell phone trade developed from promoting gadgets for making calls to promoting platforms for apps and providers. This shift presents new alternatives and challenges for firms like Cipia as we work to supply worth on this altering panorama.
Thanks for the nice interview, readers who want to study extra ought to go to Cipia.
