Huawei Mate 10 Pro drives a Porsche at MWC 2018
PHONE SMARTS. Picture taken of a Porsche Panamera car driven by the Huawei Mate 10 Pro smartphone outside the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on February 26, 2018, on the first day of the Mobile World Congress (MWC). Photo by Pau Barrena/AFP
BARCELONA, Spain – China's Huawei used the artificial intelligence capabilities of its flagship Mate 10 Pro phone to drive a sports car as the Mobile World Congress got under way in Barcelona Monday, in what it said was a world first.
The Porshe avoided several obstacles, including a dog and a bike, as it drove in a straight line to demonstrate the AI-powered object recognition technology in the phone's camera. (WATCH: What are the differences between the Huawei Mate 10 and 10 Pro?)
The tech giant said it was "the first mobile device manufacturer in the world to use an AI-powered smartphone to drive a car," saying the technology was able to distinguish between thousands of different objects and thereby able to avoid any collision.
10 PRO. A man shows the Huawei Mate 10 Pro smartphone able to drive a Porsche Panamera car during its presentation at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on February 26, 2018 on the first day of the Mobile World Congress (MWC). Photo by Pau Barrena/AFP
Huawei said the test was only designed to demonstrate its phone's AI capabilities and did not plan to develop a new driverless car.
"The smartphone totally controls the vehicle, we did not do anything except for steering elements," said Arne Herkelmann, who heads Huawei's handset portfolio in Europe. (READ: Huawei AI expert Eric Zhou on AI as the future of mobile phones)
"The camera sees that there is something on the road, recognises what it is and acts to avoid it, we trained our AI to be able to recognise a road and its possible obstacles." (WATCH: Why the Huawei Mate 10 was among 2017's best flagships)
In 2017, Huawei was the world's third biggest seller of smartphones after Samsung and Apple, holding a 10.4% market share, up from 9.5% a year earlier, according to figures from research firm IDC. – Rappler.com
