Valeo Acquires Gestigon to Develop Expertise in Cabin 3-D Image Processing

Valeo has acquired all of the outstanding shares of Gestigon. Gestigon is a German start-up that specializes in the development of 3-D image processing software for the vehicle cabin.

Valeo said this acquisition is meant to reinforce the company’s technological leadership in automated driving. Valeo will now be able to focus more on solutions for developing simple, intuitive and effective human-machine interfaces (HMI) in the vehicle cabin and thus ass to its expertise in enhancing cabin comfort and driving assistance operations, especially in technologically sophisticated areas like interior cameras and image processing.

Such advanced technologies have become a key differentiating factor in the automotive industry. Gestigon’s expertise in artificial intelligence-based solutions will help enhance Valeo’s automated driving strategy. Gestigon’s software suite, which is compatible with all types of in-vehicle gesture and movement recognition sensors, points to a real technological breakthrough.

Building on Valeo’s existing Driver Monitoring system, which can be used to detect driver drowsiness or distraction, the acquisition is expected to lead to the development of a comprehensive suite of object and occupant detection features. In future, the vehicle will be able to analyze the cabin environment and seamlessly adapt parameters to suit occupants’ safety needs like for example, by activating airbags.

Commenting on the acquisition, Marc Vrecko, head of Valeo’s Comfort and Driving Assistance Systems Business Group said that as leader in human-machine interface solutions, Gestigon enjoys recognized expertise in the automotive industry. Valeo can combining its skills in a larger team to sharpen its edge and reinforce its leadership in autonomous and connected cars.