JPL and the Ford Motor Co. have signed a licensing agreement for use of an advanced neural network technology to diagnose misfiring under the hoods of Ford automobiles, among its many potential applications. With the advent of this new chip, vehicles should show a reduction in emission levels. The smart fit between JPL's neural net hardware and Ford's automotive engineering algorithm expertise will enhance the industrial giant's ability to meet ever-stricter Clean Air Act requirements as they apply to continuous onboard diagnostics and control, officials said. In addition, the chip is designed to improve fuel economy, resulting in financial savings for car owners. JPL and Ford scientists say the chip represents the first significant change in the way computing is done on vehicles since computers were first introduced into automobiles in the 1970s.
Neural networks are a new discipline, and diagnostics, prognostics and control is a huge field.
JPL is proud to be able to make this revolutionary technology available for U.S. business. The new license provides Ford with rights to intellectual property of the chip for auto industry applications, while JPL, which has applied for patents to the technology, retains general rights. JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology, which serves as the party of record for this license. Neural systems were inspired by the architecture of nervous systems of animals, which use neurons, a form of parallel processing elements, to process large volumes of information simultaneously. With Ford, we are implementing highly complex neural network software code in dedicated hardware logic.