Mercedes-Benz has joined forces with LG Electronics

Autonomous vehicles are widely considered to be the future of the automotive industry, which is why so many automakers are now devoting a substantial amount of their time and resources to developing self-driving technology. Even companies with no ties to the automotive industry, such as Google, are working on developing their own autonomous vehicles. That’s why it’s no surprise that Mercedes-Benz, a company that tends to lead the charge on innovation within the automotive industry, is hard at work on it’s own system for self-driving cars.

Considering how this is a realm of technology that most automakers aren’t well-versed in, many have turned to companies from outside the automotive industry for assistance. Mercedes-Benz has decided to take this route, having recently announced a partnership with LG Electronics. The Stuttgart-based automaker and the Seoul-based electronics company are currently jointly exploring the design of next-generation camera systems that will form the backbone of future autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles from Mercedes-Benz.

“Mercedes-Benz is the ideal partner for LG as both companies share a vision of how ADAS technologies can improve the wellbeing and lives of all consumers,” said Woo-jong Lee, president and CEO of the LG Vehicle Components Company, as quoted by TweakTown. “As the automobile evolves from a mechanical to an electronic system, LG will be in the perfect position to contribute its experience to the exciting automotive industry.”

“We will move to develop premium components suitable for global premium automakers based on our cumulative knowledge in developing world-class visual recognition technology thanks to our strength in IT and consumer electronics,” continued Lee, as quoted by the Korea Herald.

When it comes to camera systems, vision algorithms, and electronics technologies LG has both extensive experience and a massive capacity for research and development. The company will be transferring various technologies from its home entertainment and mobile communications departments into automotive components in order to ensure that they offer some of the best technologies and highest performance on the market. Mercedes-Benz has also licensed a few portions of its 6D Vision technology to LG as part of this collaboration.