AutoSens Brussels 2019 to explore all aspects of vehicle perception technology and autonomous driving

• AutoSens returns to Brussels, Belgium for its flagship conference on autonomous driving.
• The event features over 60 presentations, seven panel discussions and a technology exhibit.
• AutoSens is a way for top-level engineers and researchers to see what's going on in the industry.

The renowned Autoworld Museum will host AutoSens Brussels next week; The World Conference on Autonomous Driving and Vehicle Perception Technologies returns to Belgium starting Tuesday, September 17th. The conference examines and covers virtually every level of self-driving and vehicle perception technologies, from supply chain and product development to possible use cases and possible implementation. AutoSens essentially dives deep into the engineering, legal, financial and even ethical issues and implications of autonomous vehicles.

“We strive to deliver truly high quality technical presentations every year to AutoSens, so all visitors return to their office or lab with new solutions, food for thought or new information,” said Robert Stead, Managing Director of Sense. Media Group, the parent company of AutoSens. “The audience joining us at Autoworld is as healthy as ever, with the world’s best imaging and computer vision engineers and scientists working hard towards a common goal of safer roads and sustainable technologies for the future of transportation.”

For engineers, engineers

Every aspect of AutoSens lives by this motto - for engineers, for engineers - which means that the technical integrity and depth of the conference is paramount. Collaboration and creativity also remain central to the way professionals on the ground share ideas and develop solutions to the obstacles standing in the way of autonomous driving. Organizers say they want attendees to feel welcome and have an accurate picture of how the industry is progressing.

“AutoSens exists simply to support and help engineers and scientists, and when we hear stories about new people they met, what they learned, about business connections, this is what motivates us,” explained Steed. “It's about creating a meeting place and community that can be a catalyst for others in their pursuit of good science. We also want to provide context so that the technical discussions provide an up-to-date picture of what is happening in the market.”

“This conference was useful for us because we meet like-minded people who are facing similar problems; we talk, we share and learn from each other,” added Phil Magny, founder and chief advisor of VSI Labs, and longtime contributor. "We like AutoSens because it's technical and focused on the perception of this business, and it's a good mix of industry and technology."

The Autoworld Museum will host AutoSens Brussels 2019. The World Conference on Vehicle Perception and Autonomous Driving Technologies starts on Tuesday, September 17th. During the First World War, Avtomir served as a garage for the German army. Photo: Sens Media.

AutoSens Brussels 2019 program at a glance

Altogether, AutoSens Brussels includes over 60 presentations, seven panel discussions and a technology showcase with over 40 displays; all surrounded by timeless classic cars inside the Autoworld Museum. Dinner at noon and drinks on Tuesday are one of many opportunities for networking and discussion. The AutoSens Awards Dinner is set for Wednesday night at the Atomium in Brussels.

AutoSens Brussels 2019 Program: Experienced Speakers

The broad agenda for Brussels kicks off on Tuesday 17 September with a session titled AI and Deep Learning for Driverless Vehicles: Trends and Challenges. Dominique Bonte, Managing Director of ABI Research, will lead a session on light and low power automotive AI systems and new approaches to testing them. Later in the day, representatives from AEye, Arbe, FLIR, and SOS Lab will host an in-depth roundtable on LiDAR, thermal imaging cameras, and other ADAS technologies.

On Wednesday and Thursday, September 18 and 19, several experts will be speaking, including Jeff Ballew, senior director of marketing at ON Semiconductor. Ballew's presentation will cover the challenges and requirements of modern sensors in specific applications: electronic mirror and surveillance camera systems (CMS); driver and passenger monitoring systems (DMS); and scalable machine vision for ADAS, all the way to fully autonomous driving solutions. While this is just one of more than 60 different presentations planned, attendees can expect a thorough analysis of the topics discussed.

“The difference between AutoSens and many other events on this hot topic of self-driving cars is that the AutoSens attendees are the real engineers who build the systems that make it all possible,” Stead said. "We're trying to find top people in this area because they have the experience and can provide this level of understanding."

Other speakers in Brussels this year include Dexin Chen, Senior Technology Analyst at IHS Markit; Dr Valentina Donzella, Associate Professor, University of Warwick; Professor Robin Jenkin, Chief Image Quality Engineer, NVIDIA; and Christian Mochko, Supplier Quality Engineer, Daimler, among many others.

Expert speakers have always been part of the AutoSens agenda. Cognitive Dr. Dr. Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, co-founder and scientific and artistic director of La Petite Noiseuse Productions, performs at AutoSens Detroit. Photo: Alex Hartman for Sense Media.

AutoSens expands further

The return to Brussels marks the 7th edition of AutoSens launched four years ago by Sense Media Group. The conference is held twice a year and is held in May in Detroit, Michigan and in September in Brussels. Starting next year, AutoSens Hong Kong will join the events in North America and Europe. Asia is an important market for autonomous technology and an international hub for engineers, researchers and other automotive experts, organizers say. Longtime participants, delegates and speakers agree with the decision.

"AutoSens has quickly established itself as an event in this space to see, hear and meet key companies and people that make a difference in the autonomous vehicle sector," explained Rudy Burger, Managing Partner at Woodside Capital Partners and frequent speaker at AutoSens. “The launch of the third edition in Hong Kong is an exciting and valuable proposition for the industry.”

"I can't think of a better combination," added Abhay Rai, vice president of product marketing, Visteon. "The latest innovation from Asia, against the backdrop of one of the world's most iconic cities, and the global AutoSens community gathering for the latest addition to a series of world-class events."

Continued industry support for Hong Kong

AutoSens Hong Kong already has a number of stakeholders. Members of the expert advisory board include representatives from Aptiv, Byton, Valeo, Visteon and Robert Bosch with founding partners from leading companies such as Visteon, IAV Automotive Engineering, Siemens, OmniVision, Kalray, ON Semiconductor, Viavi, Woodside Capital Partners and XenomatiX.