Bosch launches its automated driving initiative in China

In order to get automated driving off the ground in China, a promising concept is still needed for how to generate high-precision, up-to-the-minute maps. Bosch wants to change this and has signed a collaboration agreement with the Chinese internet group Baidu and map providers AutoNavi and NavInfo.

Together, the four partners are working on a solution that will let them use information collected by Bosch's radar and video sensors in vehicles to generate and update maps. "Automated driving will not be possible without high-precision maps - not in China and not anywhere else in the world either," says Dr. Rolf Bulander, Member of Robert Bosch GmbH's Board of Management and Chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector, in the run-up to Auto Shanghai 2017.

Bosch is pursuing an open, standardised approach. Automated vehicles will use the data collected by Bosch sensors to determine their own location, which is essential for automated driving. This data will be compatible with the three partners' map data. Bosch, AutoNavi, Baidu, and NavInfo want to present their solution before the end of the year.