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Press Game changer in the smart mobility industry] Han Ji-hyeong, CEO of Autonomous a2z

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작성자 Autonomous a2z 조회 856 작성일 2021-08-23

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The final destination of future automotive technology is fully autonomous driving. The final step is for passengers to safely arrive at their desired destination without a driver. Not only global automakers, but also IT giants have put their lives on the line in the race to preoccupy autonomous driving technology.


However, there are domestic ventures and start-ups that have boldly jumped into competition with only technology against mega-large companies with huge capital and infrastructure.


Before the interview, Autonomous a2z CEO Han Ji-hyeong said that autonomous driving technology is already at a world-class level and expressed his ambition to grow into a global mobility company by further improving the level of autonomous driving technology in the future. 


This interview was held on August 9th at Autonomous a2z’s Pyeongchon Research Center.


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▶ I am curious as to what made you enter the autonomous driving market.


After graduating from university, he joined Hyundai Motor Company and was mainly responsible for mass production of automobile engines and transmissions. Then he moved to the central research center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi-do, where he joined the development of autonomous vehicles. There, he developed self-driving vehicles, including modifications of the Tucson hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the Soul, the Ioniq, the Nexo, and the Genesis G80. He also participated in the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where he saw a big wave of autonomous driving technology. At that time, the autonomous driving market was just beginning, so I became convinced that the same opportunities were open to anyone regardless of the size of the company, and decided to start a business. 

▶What kind of business is Autonomous a2z?

 

In short, it is a company that is trying to make autonomous driving technology a reality. We are developing technology for mass production, not technology development for research. This is also the philosophy pursued by Autonomous a2z. In order for autonomous driving technology to actually reach mass production, a near-perfect technology development is a prerequisite. Even if the probability of an accident is 0.001%, thousands of vehicles a day in Korea alone can have an accident without cause. Autonomous driving technology goes through the stages of recognition, judgment, and control, and perfect autonomous driving technology can only be realized when the entire technologies that make up each stage are organically well intertwined.


▶ Please explain the perfect autonomous driving technology.


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오토노머스에이투지의 자율주행 기술이 집약된 차량 플랫폼. 자율주행의 핵심인 인지·판단·제어 부문에 외부의 오픈 플랫폼을 쓰지 않고 모두 자체 알고리즘으로 구현한다. 

We do not use an external open platform for recognition, judgment, and control, which is the core of autonomous driving, but implement them all with our own algorithms. Not only design, but also vehicle modification and mass production are being developed directly. It is a natural result created by the gathering of experts who started their work with technology for mass production rather than a study for research. We thought that the ultimate autonomous driving technology that we are pursuing can be completed only if we all develop ourselves from A to Z of autonomous driving technology from the beginning of our founding. Our will to fully realize autonomous driving technology is also reflected in our mission.


▶What is the most representative achievement since the establishment of the company?


Above all, it is an autonomous driving paid transportation service that was introduced with Kakao Mobility in December last year. The autonomous driving mobility service is being operated in an on-demand (demand-response) format in a section with a total length of more than 30 km from the Sejong City Government Complex to the vicinity of Sejong City Hall. This is significant in that it is the first autonomous driving service in Korea that uses autonomous vehicles and that it provides a paid transportation service for ordinary citizens at all times on public roads. Until now, autonomous vehicles could only be used for research purposes. However, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently enacted a law to issue licenses for transportation operators that can provide paid transportation services in select regions to promote the development of autonomous driving-related technologies, and we were able to proceed with the service using that law. However, the real problem was that it was difficult to find a point of contact between the self-driving car we developed and ordinary citizens. Since then, as we have collaborated with Kakao Mobility, we have been able to easily find contact points with ordinary citizens, and the payment service has been solved all at once, making it possible to utilize 100% of the purpose of the Autonomous Driving Vehicle Commercialization Promotion Regulation. 

▶ What are you focusing on the most recently? 


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지난 3월 세종 자율주행실증 규제자유특구에서 테스트 중인 자율주행 버스.

As mentioned earlier, we are focusing our efforts on technology development that can reduce the probability of an accident by 0.001%. The purpose is to enable the vehicle to cope with the special situations encountered while driving in a completely unattended state. For example, situations in which a tree has fallen on the road or items from a truck bin are spilled are typical. As such, we are developing technologies that can respond to situations that are difficult to deal with machine learning or algorithms. In the end, I think that the commercialization of fully autonomous driving technology will be possible only when all these unexpected situations are resolved. 

▶ Please introduce the most memorable episode of leading an autonomous driving startup.


It was the day when Kakao Mobility launched an autonomous driving paid transportation service. It was an event watched by the government and local government officials, including the mayor of Sejong, local lawmakers, and the head of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. In fact, I tested it in a moderate amount of snow or rain, but on that day, it rained so hard that I couldn't handle it. During the pre-explanation event, the road was covered with snow, making it impossible to see any lanes at all. In such a situation, we took Sejong Market as the first passenger and conducted a test drive on the 4km course. Even in road conditions that are difficult for people to drive, it drove perfectly, and everyone who attended the event was amazed and admiring our technology.



▶ I am curious about what philosophy you usually use in your management.


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지난 4월 경기도 화성시에서 일반 시민들을 대상으로 시범 운행을 진행한 자율주행 셔틀버스

I have two philosophies. One of the ideas we had since the beginning of our founding is ‘Let’s develop technology that can be mass-produced’. Since then, as the company has grown in size, he has also developed a philosophy of ‘Let’s create a company where our members can be happy and satisfied’. Our founders are not star academics or developers. Since it was founded by engineers who worked hard during their youngest years in research institutes at large corporations, all of the executives know the position of those working in the company very well. That's why our company doesn't have a report for a report or a meeting for a meeting. I usually tell my employees that I have to live a happy and satisfying life. After all, in a tech company like us, each and every employee is our greatest asset. I am convinced that ultimately the company can grow only when they feel happy and live in the company with a positive mind.


▶ Is there an entrepreneur you have as your role model?


I respect the late Chairman Jeong Ju-Young, the founder of Hyundai Group. He also read many autobiography and biography of his life. Although he was born with a background from an earthen spoon and no place to lean on, it is truly remarkable that he has built a company with strong conviction and belief in himself. He also tries to emulate innovators like Steve Jobs of Apple, Elon Musk of Tesla, Kim Bong-jin of Baedal Minjok, and Kim Bum-su of Kakao. Like them, I want to remain as a businessman who has silently practiced his beliefs and beliefs.

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지난 3월 광주광역시 규제자유특구에서 테스트 중인 무인 청소차.

▶ How do you see the future autonomous driving market?

In fact, the commercialization of autonomous driving is not very far in the future. From a technical point of view, the autonomous driving market is expected to open up first in the form of unmanned mobility that operates at low speed in limited areas such as large businesses or factories, including smart cities, rather than fully autonomous driving based on general passenger cars. Rather than a passenger car running at high speed on all roads across the country, significant risk factors can be removed by defining a limited range of 'restricted area' and 'low speed'. is expected to be possible.


▶ Please reveal your strategy for success in the autonomous driving market.

As mentioned earlier, we plan to develop and commercialize the technology not as a B2C business in the general passenger car market, but as a fully unmanned strategy for special purpose vehicles operating at low speeds in some limited areas. The general passenger car market is much larger and most automakers are focusing on that market, but in fact, the market requires strong capital and technology development for a long period of time. We plan to focus on what we can do based on the capital and manpower we currently have while looking at our reality in a cool way.

▶ I am curious about mid- to long-term business plans such as new technology development or platform expansion.

In fact, the autonomous driving technology that assumes that a person is in a vehicle and the autonomous driving technology that assumes complete unmanned driving look similar, but are quite different. In particular, in a situation where no one is riding, the vehicle must be able to drive itself even in the final situation, such as road control (interruption), illegal parking, or vehicle breakdown. In such a situation, autonomous driving has obvious limitations with the vehicle's own technology, so communication or interworking with infrastructure is required. To this end, we plan to expand our vehicle platform in line with new road environments such as smart cities. So far, we have been running towards the goal of perfecting the technology for autonomous driving itself. Now that the technology has been completed to some extent, and verification has already been made through road demonstrations in Korea, we are planning to advance into overseas markets in earnest.


▶ Please clarify your future vision as the head of Autonomous a2z.

Looking at the history of the Korean industry, it seems that there was Naver and Kakao after Hyundai and Samsung. Now, our goal is to become the world's best unmanned mobility company that can take over the baton and lead the Korean industry in the future. I think the conditions for this have already been met. Not only automobiles, but also technology companies in the IT and telecommunication fields are gathered in Korea, and the government is not sparing any support. Over the past three years, we have been evaluated for technological advancement at a fairly rapid pace. And this was a preparation process for a full-fledged global expansion. Now, we are going to start running in earnest towards our final goal.



포브스 코리아  오승일 기자  osi@joongang.co.kr · 사진 전민규 기자




 



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