BMW To Integrate Tech By Israel’s Tactile Mobility Into Vehicles

By NoCamels Team September 15, 2020 2 minutes

Crowdsourced map, generated from Tactile Mobility data transmitted from vehicles which shows the rating of pavement conditions. Courtesy.

BMW Group is set to integrate automotive tech developed by Israeli startup Tactile Mobility into vehicles next year, the Israeli company announced on Tuesday.

Founded in 2012, the Haifa-based Tactile Mobility provides smart and autonomous vehicles with the missing tactile sensing and data that make vehicles smarter and improve roads and mobility ecosystems. The company says its platform offers solutions for OEMs, tier-ones, road authorities, municipalities, fleet managers, and owners.

Tactile Mobility said the commercial partnership will see its software technology embedded into the BMW Group’s next-generation vehicles on a global scale starting in 2021.

This collaboration “marks one of the first commercial integrations by an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) of tactile sensing technology and data, which will be used to enhance driving performance and detection of road,” the company said in a statement. It also “marks a new era of sensing-based innovation in the automotive industry.”

The deal will equip the BMW Group’s vehicles with the ability to analyze the road surface attributes under their tires, enabling accurate detection of road conditions and unprecedented vehicle dynamics management functions to enhance availability and performance.

The long-term cooperation between the BMW Group and Tactile Mobility began through the BMW Startup Garage, the Venture Client unit of the BMW Group.

“We are thrilled to partner with the BMW Group to equip their smart and future automated vehicles with the sense of ‘touch’ and show the commercial viability of tactile sensing technology,” said Boaz Mizrachi, Tactile Mobility’s co-founder and CTO.

“We are appreciative of the support the BMW Startup Garage and the entire team at the BMW Group has given us and look forward to working together to provide smart and connected vehicles with a more comprehensive picture of the driving environments around them, which will now include the tactile sense,” said Rani Plaut, executive board member of Tactile Mobility. “Our dedicated team has been working towards this type of commercial integration for years, and we’re excited to see the results implemented in the BMW Group’s fleet of vehicles.”