BlackBerry Unveils Autonomous Vehicle Hub In Canada (venturebeat.com)

BlackBerry's Unix-like OS, QNX, is already in millions of cars. But today they're expanding their facility in Ottawa "to focus on developing advanced driver assistance and autonomous vehicle technology," according to Reuters. And one analyst says "If they can prove that they have the whole package and the security, they could absolutely dominate the market." After a detour where QNX's industrial-focused software was used to reinvent the now-discarded BlackBerry phone operating system, BlackBerry is focused on how its embedded software interacts with the explosion of sensors, cameras and other components required for a car to drive itself... "What QNX is doing is providing the infrastructure that allows you to build higher-level algorithms and to also acquire data from the sensors in a reliable manner," said Sebastian Fischmeister, a University of Waterloo associate professor who has worked with QNX since 2009.
Instead of focussing on AI, BlackBerry wants "a niche role as a trusty sidekick," Reuters reports, adding that besides a recent deal with Ford, BlackBerry is also holding advanced discussions with "more than one or two" major automakers, according to the head of the company.

Comments

Sorry Blackberry, you're a dead brand

[Anonymous Coward]

They'd be better off completely rebranding themselves so no one knows they're RIM/Blackberry. If I knew a car I was about to buy had Blackberry software in it, I wouldnt buy it, because I know it'd be unsupported very soon.

The Aircraft Industry

[XB-70]

Regardless of which O/S and what features prevail in the autonomous driving world, I have one very grave concern. Thousands of man-years of research have gone into aircraft safety. One of the major components of that safety is a triply redundant computer system. If one machine does not agree with the other two, the pilot is warned.

Right now, we don't have standards for self-driving cars. This should be the baseline for any new standard.