Tekcapital plc – Guident Acquires Additional IP
Tekcapital Plc (AIM: TEK), the UK intellectual property (IP) investment group focused on creating marketplace value from investing in university technology, is pleased to announce that its portfolio company Guident Ltd has exclusively licensed patent application PCT US19 14 547 entitled: “Visual sensor fusion and data sharing across connected vehicles for active safety” from Michigan State University.
This important patent application describes methods for enhancing the safety of AV’s by enabling them to share information with other AV’s and drones regarding objects detected by their sensors. This proprietary method may improve safety by providing a more robust, real-time system for detecting pedestrians, traffic conditions and potential hazards.
Harald Braun, Chairman at Guident said,
“We are pleased to announce that Guident has acquired the exclusive license to PCT US19 14 547. This patent application leverages the forthcoming 5G network for acquiring and sharing vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-object information to improve safety and reduce the likelihood of AV and drone accidents.”
The Market
In a recent survey by PWC1, 43% of respondents indicated that a key perceived disadvantage of AV relates to safety concerns. Guident is seeking to help address these concerns with IP and software to enhance the safety and practical utilization of AV’s and drones.
The autonomous vehicle market is expected to reach US $65 billion by 20272 and the drone logistics and transportation market is projected to reach US $29 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 21% from 2022 to 2027.3
In the U.S. alone, approximately 50 m packages are delivered each day. This number is expected to rise to 100 m by 20264. Over the next few years, many of these deliveries are likely to be performed by autonomous vehicles and drones.
Dr Clifford Gross, Chairman at Tekcapital commented: “We are delighted to see that Guident has exclusively acquired additional intellectual property rights to further enhance the adoption and utilization of AV’s and drones. To enhance the safety and practicality of AV’s, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-object information sharing systems are needed. The forthcoming 5G networks will help make this technology a useful improvement for safe AV and drone operation by empowering AV’s to “see” not only what its sensors detect but what the sensors of all nearby vehicles are able to detect.”