How Nissan Uses AI To Design Cars More Quickly

The presence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been on the rise lately, and the computer system is starting to create noteworthy products in the car industry. Automotive giant General Motors is even considering introducing AI chatbot ChatGPT into its vehicles.

Over to the east, Japanese automaker Nissan continues to use AI with the Yokohoma Lab. Situated in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, the Yokohama Lab is the brand's AI research and development division, studying how to utilize the advanced system in designing cars.

The Yokohama Lab aims to understand how AI can help solve the challenges faced by engineers and designers, which, ultimately, would significantly shorten simulations and provide better solutions. One aspect of car design the research center looks to improve through AI is aerodynamics, which is the study of how objects move through the air.

Aerodynamics Engineer Kei Akasaka recognized the difficulties in calculating aero, saying, "It's now very challenging to quickly respond to sudden requests from designers. They can make slight changes to the design and want to know as soon as possible how it impacts aerodynamics."

Akasaka approached the Yokohoma Lab to ask how AI can solve the said problem. In response, the research center initiated a collaborative project to develop a prediction model using AI deep learning. Unfortunately, the team ran into a problem, pointing out that more data is required to complete the task.

"As the data increases, the accuracy improves, but it also increases dependency on the data. To tackle this, we experimented and worked with Akasaka, training the model with paired information such as fluid dynamics equations and other physical laws in addition to the shape of the car," said Data Scientist Chen Fangge.

It would be interesting to see what Yokohoma Lab can come up with for Nissan. What we can expect is the integration of brand design signatures including the V-Motion grille, found across the model lineup including the all-electric Nissan Ariya.

Nissan is also using AI to build safer cars by developing an inspection scanner that can evaluate the condition of car parts with a 99.995% accuracy. The AI part comes in to look at an image, compare it to the system's stored input data, and provide solutions.

Another automaker that has entered the world of AI is BMW. Earlier this year, the Bavarian automaker tasked AI to design a pair of hardcore off-roaders. One render showed a BMW X7-looking SUV with a very tall ride height, massive off-road tires, and a roof rack.