Motive Technologies Inc. today debuted a new device, the Motive AI Dashcam Plus, that promises to help truck operators reduce the risk of collisions.

San Francisco-based Motive develops sensors and software for logistics fleets. The company’s sensors can be installed in a truck to track its location, fuel levels and other data. The devices send the information they collect to a cloud-based platform that dispatchers can use to monitor deliveries. The software also lends itself to other tasks such as scheduling vehicle maintenance.

The AI Dashcam Plus is a compact device that can be installed on a truck’s windshield. It uses a forward-facing camera to observe the traffic in the front of the vehicle. The camera has two lenses instead of the usual one, which enables it to capture more accurate depth data. Built-in artificial intelligence models analyze the footage to detect risks such as cars that drive too close and unsafe lane changes.

The device’s main camera is supported by a zoom lens with a resolution of 2,560 by 1440 pixels. According to Motive, it’s designed to capture license plate numbers for use in collision investigations. The company says that the lens can capture footage in motion and under challenging weather conditions.

The AI Dashcam Plus also collects other types of data. According to Motive, two motion sensors enable the device to detect low-severity rear-end collisions that aren’t captured by its camera. A GPS module tracks the host vehicle’s location.

Some of the device’s features were carried out from an existing Motive product called the Motive Vehicle Gateway. The latter system can connect to the chip that powers a truck’s engine to track fuel levels, potential malfunctions and other data points. Vehicle information is transmitted to Motive’s cloud-based fleet management platform via a built-in LTE unit.

The AI Dashcam Plus doubles as a hands-free communications tool. Dispatchers can use it to notify drivers about issues such as vehicle malfunctions and bad weather. Drivers also have access to a built-in AI assistant, which can provide information such as the distance until the next stop. 

The dashcam’s AI software runs on a Dragonwing QCS6490 system-on-chip from Qualcomm Inc. It comprises an eight-core central processing unit, a graphics processing unit and a machine learning accelerator that can manage 12 trillion calculations per second. Motive says the chip gives it three times more computing power than competing products.

The device’s launch comes six months after the company closed a $150 million funding round led by Kleiner Perkins. At the time, it disclosed that its installed base includes more than 1.3 million drives across 100,000 organizations. Motive says its platform is used by not only logistics companies but also utilities, internet providers and other enterprises. 

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