Honda Opens its Silicon Valley Lab for tech collaboration with Waymo and others

resource from: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.   

Honda Silicon Valley Lab (HSVL), the global hub within Honda R&D Americas, Inc., will expand its areas of focus beyond vehicles and broaden its responsibility to develop business partnerships as a new company, Honda R&D Innovations, Inc., which will be known as "Honda Innovations." Honda made the announcement on Thursday, April 13th (PDT).

This new company will seek transformative collaborations within all areas of Honda's activities. Honda Innovations will remain located in Silicon Valley in Mountain View, CA, and will operate globally as it seeks to partner with other innovative companies ranging from start-ups to global brands to design and development communities.

Nick Sugimoto, who has served as the senior program director of Honda Silicon Valley Lab, has been named as the CEO of Honda Innovations.

Honda Innovations

Honda Innovations' focus areas include connected vehicle/internet of things (IoT) services, human machine interface, machine learning, robotics, connected services, personal mobility, and industrial innovation. Additionally, Honda Innovations will facilitate discussions on technical collaboration with Waymo to integrate Waymo's self-driving technology in vehicles from Honda.

"We're witnessing a convergence of technologies that will transform mobility, create new business opportunities, and change the way we manufacture products," said Honda Innovations CEO, Nick Sugimoto. "By looking broadly across technology areas and partnering with innovators across the globe, we can create products and services that enhance the lives of our customers."

Honda Developer Studio and Honda Xcelerator

Honda Developer Studio and Honda Xcelerator, two open innovation programs already established as part of Honda's operations in Silicon Valley, will continue to serve as catalysts within the newly established Honda Innovations to discover and experiment with new technologies and business concepts.

Honda Xcelerator supports tech innovators across all funding stages who seek to transform automotive technology in a collaborative environment. The program offers funding for rapid prototyping, a collaborative workspace, and pairing with Honda mentors. Honda Developer Studio enables developers to work directly with Honda engineers to create automotive apps that are road-ready more quickly.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

After launching in 2011, Honda Silicon Valley Lab collaborated with Apple to integrate Apple's CarPlay, the smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car. Honda also worked with Google to integrate Android Auto, offering customers a simpler way to use Android devices in their Honda vehicles. Honda later deployed both of these platforms on the 2016 Honda Accord. Since then, the Lab has collaborated with a number of innovators on a wide variety of software and hardware technologies to enhance Honda's in-vehicle experience.

Honda Mobile App

At CES 2017, Honda Developer Studio demonstrated a mobile payment app that will allow consumers to pay for services such as gasoline and public parking from the comfort and safety of their vehicles. Honda Developer Studio also announced that Dream Drive, an immersive in-car VR experience triggered by the motion of the vehicle, would be powered by DreamWorks Animation and feature content from DreamWorks' animated film Trolls.

resource from: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.