Repair group ABL 1 Touch is part-funding a new AI-powered vehicle repair project that will help it assess vehicle damage following a collision.
The system is being developed by the University of Portsmouth’s School of Computing and will combine machine learning with human expertise to identify vehicle damage following an incident and then diagnose and schedule repairs.
ABL 1 Touch has invested £560,000 in the project which is also being backed by Innovate UK.
The three-year development project is expected to enhance ABL 1 Touch’s operational efficiency, reduce costs and support continued growth.
Innovation
Graham Roberts, chief commercial officer, said: “We work in a fast-paced industry that is driven by substantially varying vehicle damage types from many sources. Therefore, it is paramount that we find new and innovative ways to identify, prioritise and schedule work into our sites.
“The need to generate scalable solutions that remove single-person dependencies and work on mass data learning protocols is something we embrace as a forward-thinking business.
“We are extremely excited to be working with our successful associates to maximise the transfer of knowledge into our business and find practical solutions that will enhance our skilled workforce.
“The Knowledge Transfer Process (KTP) and support from Innovate UK are the driving factors which have enabled us to proceed to this stage and we look forward to seeing our partnership flourish with the University of Portsmouth in the coming years.”
Huge importance
Stephen Woodhouse, knowledge transfer adviser at Innovate UK, added: “I was delighted to support the development of this collaborative project on behalf of Innovate UK. The ambition for the partnership has huge practical importance; directly addressing contemporary industrial challenges.
“The KTP affords access to world-class research expertise at the University of Portsmouth, rapidly enabling ABL 1 Touch to establish synthetic cognition within their business protocols, supporting significant improvements in their client-facing value proposition.”
