SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, April 4, 2023
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, July 5, 2023
AVIKUS, HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation in-house startup, announced today it has appointed industry insider Paul Petani to the position of Managing Director of North America. In his new role, Petani is responsible for establishing the brand and an official U.S. entity, growing a domestic team and overseeing day-to-day operations of Avikus’ efforts in the United States and Canada.
Petani is an accomplished senior executive leader well known for his ability to pioneer new markets and recruit and mentor successful management teams. He has a valuable network of contacts in the marine and powersports industries having worked at IoT startup FELL Technology, Brunswick’s Mercury Marine, First Alert Fire & Safety and Polaris Industries. With a deep understanding of recreational and commercial product distribution, Petani has extensive experience in OEM sales, dealer direct, aftermarket P&A sales and omnichannel development with brick and mortar and online sales channels.
“I am very excited for this opportunity with such a ground-breaking venture,” said Petani. “This truly revolutionary technology is set to change the face of recreational boating forever. I am looking forward to driving awareness and growth for Avikus in this vital market.”
Petani’s immediate charge for Avikus in the North American market includes opening a U.S. office before the end of the year, growing the Avikus U.S. sales and support teams and developing a domestic aftermarket distribution network. In addition, he will oversee the continued support of recently established partnerships and the development of new collaborations, and work to secure future OEM agreements.
Avikus’ technology is centered around the NeuBoat system, which leverages the power of the Avikus Navigation Assistant System (NAS) and Docking Assistant System (DAS). Avikus NAS allows a boat to recognize and assess on-the-water situations in real-time and without human intervention through deep learning and sensor fusion algorithms. As this data is processed, NAS creates and maintains an optimal route for safe autonomous navigation, allowing boaters to enjoy their time on the water without the stress of vessel operation. If desired, the system allows users to experience the autonomous navigation process through its Augmented Reality (AR) screen, which indicates risk level using different color informational boxes. For convenience, boaters can also control navigation from anywhere on board the boat with a mobile device.
Avikus DAS technology applies an integrated cognitive system allowing a boat to dock by itself. Docking can be one of the most difficult driving skills for new and even seasoned boaters and is recognized as high-risk for accidents. Using the Avikus 3D surround view system and collision warning alarm, included with the solution, users can effortlessly cope with all situations that may occur while docking.
