

2024.11.22 Hyundai Motor Group
The automotive industry, originally a manufacturing sector rooted in mechanical engineering, is now undergoing a paradigm shift in its approach to development. As the boundaries between industries blur, the mobility ecosystem continues to expand. Companies are embracing cross-industry collaboration to drive innovation, a strategy known as "Open Innovation." Hyundai Motor Group, a leader in the development of future mobility technologies, is fully committed to this approach. Each year, Hyundai Motor Group actively supports promising global startups through the Open Innovation Lounge.
Hyundai Motor Group’s Open Innovation process consists of three major verification stages before mass production. First, it identifies technological experiences from the customer’s perspective and validates the concepts proposed by global startups through Proof of Concept (PoC). Next, in the Pretotyping stage, it evaluates the feasibility of mass-producing the technology based on commercialization scenarios. Finally, a decision on mass production is made based on evaluation results.
To support this process, Hyundai Motor Group reviews technological scenarios of major market startups worldwide through its Open Innovation hubs, Hyundai CRADLE and ZERO1NE, and continues collaborations through initiatives like the ZERO1NE Accelerator. Technologies in the Pretotyping phase are developed in collaboration with overseas research centers, such as HATCI (Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc.) and HMETC (Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center), as well as with Hyundai Motor Group’s affiliates and partners.
From October 28 to November 1, the "2024 Open Innovation Lounge" showcased exemplary collaborations between Hyundai Motor Group and startups. This sixth iteration of the Lounge, themed "Sketching the Path to Innovation," took place at headquarters of Hyundai Motor Group in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. Hyundai Motor Group exhibited twelve prototype technologies developed in collaboration with startups and presented ten future technology experience scenarios across both indoor and outdoor spaces.
The showcased technologies were categorized by development stage: PoC technologies and Pretotyping technologies. Hyundai Motor Group covered all necessary production costs, parts, and vehicles to bring these startup-conceived ideas to life. Each startup had up to ten months to integrate their technology and ideas into actual vehicles or create mockups for the event.
The PoC Zone, located in the multipurpose studio on the 8th floor, featured automotive components showcasing PoC (Proof of Concept) technologies. This year’s Open Innovation Lounge presented seven PoC technologies (two from Korea, three from North America, one from Europe, and one from Israel) developed by startups that received high marks in customer satisfaction, technical feasibility, and originality.
In this year’s PoC Zone in the Open Innovation Lounge, technologies designed to recognize passenger behaviors and states to automatically optimize the vehicle environment drew significant attention. For instance, Yobe introduced a "Speaker Recognition" technology that extracts voice biometrics through AI to identify speakers. This technology demonstrated robust security capabilities for functions like CarPay during its presentation.
Noveto and Blink showcased an entertainment technology that delivers personalized sound experiences to passengers based on their position. This solution combines facial tracking, using RGB cameras to analyze and track user faces in real time, with beamforming to deliver sound directly to specific areas, creating a highly immersive audio experience.
IAL (Impulse Audio Lab), in collaboration with HMETC, introduced "Drivable Music," which dynamically adjusts music based on vehicle operations. This feature syncs music with actions such as steering, pedal operation, and gear shifting to enhance driving enjoyment with a new layer of experience.
Voinosis presented "Healthcare Monitoring," a voice AI-based cognitive monitoring service that measures stress levels or assesses the risk of mild cognitive impairment in elderly passengers by analyzing voice data. Such biometric and healthcare technologies cater to the evolving role of cars as not only a means of transport but also as personalized spaces.
The PoC Zone was filled with automotive parts showcasing breakthrough technologies. The Smart Tire Company unveiled an "Airless Tire" that uses shape memory alloy, eliminating the need for air. The internal structure of this tire provides superior traction than traditional pneumatic tires and is resistant to deformation, offering high durability and eliminating concerns of punctures.
Banf, in partnership with the commercial virtual development team, developed an advanced "Tire Monitoring" system. It surpasses traditional TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), which only provides air pressure data, by using sensors and AI-based technology to detect misalignments and assess tire wear, enhancing passenger safety.
The OLED lighting technology features OLEDs, commonly used in mobile displays, applied to vehicle lighting, enhancing the flexibility of lamp graphic displays.
OLED Works brought fresh innovation to vehicle lighting with its OLED lamp technology. Utilizing OLED materials typically found in mobile displays, this tail lamp technology provides flexibility in light graphics, allowing for various symbols and messages to communicate with pedestrians and surrounding vehicles.
Hyundai Motor Group also showcased a booth for technologies undergoing feasibility testing for mass production in collaboration with HATCI. Nanotherm’s "Heat Emitting Paint," introduced as a concept in the 2021 Open Innovation Lounge, has since evolved through testing to improve EV energy efficiency in winter by preheating the battery surface. Nanotherm claims this paint can increase winter driving range by about 24% while maintaining low power consumption and flexible applicability to various vehicle components.
HATCI, in collaboration with Kongsberg, also presented the "Ring-type Sensor Cleaning" technology, which first appeared in the PoC stage of the 2020 Open Innovation Lounge. Using a simple ring washer structure, this solution quickly and accurately cleans contaminants from rear cameras, effectively removing dirt with an optimized washer sprayer.
The outdoor exhibition area featured technologies nearing production readiness. Group affiliates and partners, equipped with production know-how, showcased technologies on vehicle prototypes, bridging the gap between PoC and mass production.
The "Laser-based Road Projection" technology, which first appeared in the PoC stage last year, returned with enhancements for potential mass production. Co-developed by Continental, Maradin, and HMETC, this system uses MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) mirrors to project images on road surfaces. This year, it includes modules on the vehicle’s front, rear, and sides, offering a range of graphics to display information or content directly on the road.
Mobase Electronics and Mopic showcased the "Rear Assistance 3D Screen," a high-resolution 3D display enhancing infotainment immersion and featuring an AI assistant capable of interacting with passengers. Integrated with in-car cameras, the assistant can establish eye contact and engage naturally with users, making for a more intuitive experience.
The "Spatial Sound AI" technology, developed by Hyundai Mobis and Gaudio Lab, captivated Hyundai employees. Powered by real-time AI analysis, this feature can control specific audio elements, like vocals or instruments, and separate playback zones to deliver sound to designated areas within the vehicle. The "karaoke" mode, which removes the singer's voice in real time, was a favorite among the employees.
The technologies displayed at the Open Innovation Lounge undergo thorough internal evaluations to assess their suitability for mass production, focusing on factors such as customer preference and necessity. This evaluation process ensures the Lounge functions not only as a technology showcase but as a key platform for product development.
The 2024 Open Innovation Lounge highlighted Hyundai Motor Group’s commitment to supporting the steady growth of startups and ensuring that imaginative ideas are brought to life. Hyundai Motor Group plans to continue the Open Innovation platform and expand collaboration with global startups to accelerate the commercialization of innovative technologies in real vehicles. The technologies witnessed at the Lounge have set the stage for a future of mobility that many are eagerly anticipating.
Photography by Jo Hyuk-soo
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