AEye: Finding Inspiration from Nature and Drawing Together the Head and the Heart with Artificial Intelligence

Taking a completely fresh approach to artificial perception, the AEye team determined that a vehicle’s ability to scan the surroundings and quickly identify critical objects demanded that it perceive like a person, but think like a robot. This led to the creation of AEye’s iDAR, the world’s first solid state, leading-edge artificial perception platform for autonomous vehicles.

Working with developers and scientists at AEye, the Blue Practice team provided strategic Biomimicry expertise and counsel for just how their proprietary hardware and software functioned like the human visual cortex, and we culminated our project with a bylined article authored by Dr. James Doty, Clinical Professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University and founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, highlighting artificial intelligence advancements in autonomous vehicle technology and how compassion is needed for the sake of all humans and the future of the industry. The case study process included and in-depth interview with Dr. Doty, meticulous research of the autonomous vehicle space, and a deep understanding of the ways in which AEye’s innovative software mimics the human visual cortex perceptual system.

What We Did

We aligned AEye to a biomimetic approach, using the visual cortex of the human eye as inspiration for the language, marketing effort, and design copy for their iDAR software. Understanding and relaying educational tools regarding the practice of biomimicry, we were able to translate the technical perspective of this innovative technology to a variety of different audiences, making the science behind iDAR more understandable, accessible, and human.

As fodder for two bylined articles and a variety of media opportunities, we conducted an in depth interview with Dr. James Doty, who was able to dive deep into the ways in which compassions is needed when constructing AI software, and the relationship between the human mind and artificial intelligence.

Additionally, we embarked on an educational campaign, engaging reporters and influencers in the space about the relevancy of biomimicry in the world of AI, and initiated conversation around iDAR’s technology and AEye’s industry call to make the robot perceive like us humans, demonstrating their leadership in the autonomous vehicle space.

Throughout our work with AEye, Blue Practice conveyed and demonstrated expertise in biomimicry, used our expertise in technical communications to relate to internal audiences at AEye, and translated this information to more general audiences. We then used this work to introduce the AEye team to a variety of influencers in the space, resulting in introductions with top-tier media such as The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company, as well as placements in VentureBeat and Inhabitat.