As part of the French government's stimulus package, LNE has received 390,000 euros in funding to create the world's first generic platform dedicated to the evaluation of artificial intelligence.
This financing is part of the "support for industrial investment in territories" program, established in conjunction with the Île-de-France region. Scheduled for completion in the first half of 2022, the Leia platform (artificial intelligence evaluation laboratory) will represent a total investment of 785,000 euros.
The stimulus package announced by the French government currently includes 2.7 billion euros to support the development of key markets, including artificial intelligence. But this market can only develop if artificial intelligence systems are rigorously qualified.
That's why LNE has been working for several years to develop methods afin assessing the performance and safety of agricultural and industrial robots, autonomous vehicles, voice and image recognition systems, and many others. Today, thanks to the support of France Relance, a new step will be taken in the evaluation of artificial intelligence by equipping France, through its Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais, with a platform that is unique in the world: Leia.
Artificial intelligence evaluation laboratory: Leia
Housed in a room measuring 6 m in diameter and 3 m in height, the Leia platform will feature a 360° video projection system, enabling us to recreate an "artificial nature" and immerse the systems to be characterized (personal assistance robots, intelligent cameras, civilian and military intervention robots, etc.) in a simulated dynamic reality.
It will then be possible to subject the system (robot, camera, etc.) to a multitude of test scenarios and evaluate its reactions in a controlled environment.
Unique simulation software
A central and essential element of the Leia platform, simulation software will be used to generate dynamic and realistic test scenarios offering a multitude of environments (interior of an apartment, road, etc.) and ambiences (weather and sound conditions, luminosity, etc.). The virtual world reconstituted by this software will include complex scenes, such as people moving around an apartment or a road trafic thanks to realistic images in very high definition. The simulator will be able to take into account in real time in the projected scene the motion data acquired via the instrumentation of the systems being characterized (displacement of wheels and tracks, mechatronic legs, etc.).
At present, no simulation software on the market is as comprehensive. It will be built on the basis of a product already tried and tested for the development of autonomous mobility systems, but additional modules will then be developed to extend the range of environments.
Supporting the revival and competitiveness of industry The creation of this platform is fully in line with LNE's missions to support industry, since several collaborations with the regional and national ecosystem (SMEs, major industrial groups, business clusters, academics) have already been launched afin to promote AI "Made in France".
The LNE's commitment to strong, influent metrology in the service of French industrial independence is fully in line with France Relance's ambition, since the key markets targeted by this plan intersect perfectly with the LNE's current development priorities: healthcare, energy transition, future technologies and, of course, digital technology with artificial intelligence.
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