Using Algorithms to Eliminate Traffic Accidents
Heading up an eight-person team of algorithm developers while completing a Master's degree in Management Studies? Andrzej Trzepiecinski could never have imagined it when he first started studying mechatronics. Now he feels like a FutureStarter because he’s working on a world in which traffic accidents can finally be called a thing of the past.
Andrzej Trzepiecinski became interested in cars and engines at an early age. While growing up, he was often allowed to look over his father's shoulder as he tinkered away in the garage. Although analog technology sparked his interest, there was another passion brewing inside him. He combined bits and bytes with wrenches and sockets by enrolling in mechatronics at the Technical University of Łódź.
Ambassador for New ZF Location
In 2017, ZF had just opened its sixth location in Poland – in Łódź, as an extension of the development center in Częstochowa. Vision and radar systems for passenger and special vehicles were to be developed here hand-in-hand with leading automotive manufacturers. Andrzej took part in a ZF-sponsored project at the university, in which a remote-controlled model car was created with functions that are key to autonomous driving. Image processing and programming were keywords of the project, which was known as "Little Oxford" at the university. ZF was also looking for an ambassador to inspire student interest in the new development center. "At the time, I didn't have a clear idea of all the things ZF develops and produces," Andrzej Trzepiecinski admits today. "But when I started working as ZF ambassador, I realized that practically all things mobility were at home there." That impressed him – and shaped his future.
After completing a three-month internship that took him through various departments at the location, it was clear to Andrzej Trzepiecinski that he wanted one thing only: to start his career with ZF, and specifically with algorithms. "Algorithms are the key to intelligent functions in vehicles, and it's fascinating to see how code comes to life in the vehicles and how the applications keep getting better," he says. His passion also led to an opportunity – for him to work in a completely new team from the get-go. Barely a year later, a prototype was running on algorithms that he had developed with his department: for advanced lane keeping, cruise control, traffic sign recognition, automatic high beam control and automated speeding warning. Being able to see the results of his work materialize so quickly was a profound experience for him, he says.
Camera Optimization for Autonomous and Driver Assistance Systems
"Right now, we’re constantly advanced software for integrated cameras," says Andrzej about his current project. Windshield cameras must reliably detect hazardous situations, such as crossing pedestrians and cyclists, warn the driver, and, in extreme cases, trigger automatic emergency braking. Andrzej's team is responsible for developing the software, for example, which detects and reports when it is safe to use automated driving and when the driver must take over. "That’s Level 2+ in automated driving," explains Andrzej. "We're also working on optimizing camera calibration – from assembly through to workshop maintenance." For instance, a camera not only has to detect where the horizon is in order to assess distances. It also has to know which vehicle it is in. For vehicles with a long hood, emergency braking must be triggered earlier than in vehicles with shorter hoods, because a few centimeters can decide whether or not a collision occurs.
The fact that ZF asked him to take over the lead of an eight-person development team after only three years impressed him. "It's a good feeling that I can take on responsibility even as a young engineer," he says. His job as team lead hasn’t changed the fact that he wants to complete his Master's degree while continuing to work in 2023. However, the subject matter has changed: Instead of mechatronics, Andrzej Trzepiecinski will write his thesis on management – which gives him at least as good an idea of the future prospects ZF can offer him as the camera of an autonomous vehicle has of the road ahead.At the moment, Andrzej says he sometimes feels like he's living in two worlds: in the evenings and on weekends as a Master's student, and during the week as a team lead with development and HR responsibilities. But even more than his own ambitions, it's the content that drives him: "We're working here to ensure that someday there will be no more news headlines about traffic accidents. That's precisely why I feel like a FutureStarter at ZF."
