AutoScan, a leader in vehicle scanning technology, partnered with Smart Studios to enhance their AI for detecting car dents. We developed a self-learning AI model that continuously improves accuracy, integrating seamlessly with AutoScan’s high-definition camera systems.
Autoscan seeked a technology partner to develop the most advanced AI solution for detecting vehicle dents and identifying affected car parts. The solution needed to be self-learning, improving its accuracy over time, while handling the challenge of diverse vehicle shapes and sizes. Smart Studios was selected for the project and began with an initial discovery phase to propose a detailed AI model tailored to Autoscan’s business needs.
Since vehicles vary greatly in shape and size, detecting and correctly identifying specific car parts was a complex task. The system needed to adapt to the differences in vehicle design and structure across a wide range of models, ensuring accurate identification of the affected parts regardless of vehicle size or type.
Achieving high accuracy in detecting dents was a top priority. The AI system needed to not only detect dents but also differentiate between minor dents and significant damage across a variety of vehicle types, which required precise modeling of the car’s surface.
One of the major challenges was enabling the AI to accurately assess the size of the detected dents. Differentiating between small, superficial dents and larger, more critical ones was crucial for providing accurate assessments. The system needed to analyze dent dimensions effectively, ensuring that the size of the dent was consistently identified, regardless of the vehicle type or the angle at which the vehicle was scanned.
Autoscan wanted the AI model to continuously learn and improve over time. By incorporating manual corrections from operators—who could add missed dents or remove incorrect identifications—the AI model could evolve and refine its performance with each scan.
As Autoscan operates globally with multiple scanning arches, the solution needed to be highly scalable. The system had to ensure that all arches operated with the latest version of the AI model, allowing seamless updates and improvements across different regions.
The system was required to run in real-time, processing large volumes of vehicle scan data quickly and efficiently. This was necessary to meet the demands of Autoscan’s high-volume operations, minimizing downtime between scans.
Integration with a cloud-based architecture, such as Microsoft Azure, was essential for efficient data storage, AI model training, and global deployment. The cloud infrastructure allowed for streamlined processing of dent corrections and the automated re-training of the AI model, ensuring that all Autoscan locations had access to the most accurate version of the AI.
Smart Studios worked closely with Autoscan to design and develop a self-learning AI model capable of handling both dent detection and car part identification. The solution consisted of two main components:
Smart Studios developed a comprehensive dataset of thousands of vehicle images to train the AI model specifically for dent detection. These images represented vehicles of various sizes, shapes, and conditions, ensuring the model could handle diverse scenarios.
The AI was designed to detect dents with high precision, from small, barely visible dents to more significant damage, regardless of the vehicle’s shape or surface.
Extensive testing was carried out to ensure the AI model accurately identified dents across a wide range of vehicle types and conditions. This testing phase ensured that the model could perform reliably even under challenging real-world scenarios, reducing the chances of false positives or missed dents.
The second aspect of the system focused on detecting and identifying the specific car parts affected by the dents. Given the diversity in vehicle designs, detecting and correctly labelling the damaged part was a challenging task.
Smart Studios developed a system to differentiate between various car parts such as doors, fenders, hood, and more, while accounting for the distinct variations in vehicle structure across manufacturers and models.
Rigorous testing was conducted to ensure that the system could not only detect the dents but also accurately associate them with the correct car part. This ensured the AI could handle vehicles with complex and varied designs, providing detailed and accurate feedback on which part of the car was affected.
Smart Studios implemented a self-learning mechanism using Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure. When a scan is performed, operators can review and manually adjust the AI’s results by adding missed dents or removing incorrectly identified ones.
These corrections are collected and merged with others globally to continuously enhance the training dataset.
Through automated processes, the system triggers re-training of the AI model whenever enough manual corrections are collected. If the updated AI model performs better than the previous one, it is deployed to all scanning arches worldwide.
This ensures the model evolves over time, improving its accuracy as it is exposed to new data and real-world conditions.
Smart Studios used an Agile approach to manage the project, allowing rapid iterations and continuous feedback from Autoscan. This approach ensured that the AI model development remained aligned with Autoscan’s business needs.
Priority was given to the most critical features, such as dent detection accuracy and cloud integration, allowing for incremental releases and frequent updates.
The AI model was integrated with the Azure cloud platform, which provided scalability and allowed the system to manage large amounts of data collected from various scanning arches around the world.
APIs were developed to facilitate seamless communication between the scanning system and the cloud, enabling the transfer of dent correction data and the automated re-training of the AI model.
The AI model achieved exceptional accuracy in detecting vehicle dents and identifying affected car parts, even with the varying shapes and sizes of vehicles. This improvement reduced the risk of missed dents or incorrect part identification, which previously required significant manual review.
Before the AI implementation, Autoscan relied heavily on manual labor to review vehicle scans and identify dents. The AI system significantly reduced the need for manual inspections, cutting down the manual effort by over 85%. Operators were now only required to verify and make corrections when necessary, drastically decreasing their workload and reducing human error.
The automation provided by the AI model dramatically shortened the time required to inspect vehicles. Previously, a full vehicle scan and manual dent identification process could take up to 30 minutes per vehicle, depending on the complexity. With the new AI system, the inspection process was reduced to just a few minutes, saving an average of 25 minutes per vehicle. This enabled Autoscan to process many more vehicles daily, leading to increased operational efficiency.
The self-learning capability allowed the AI model to evolve and improve over time. Manual corrections from operators contributed to refining the AI’s performance, ensuring the system became increasingly accurate, further reducing the need for human intervention.
The system was designed to scale globally, with the Azure cloud platform enabling the seamless deployment of updated AI models to all Autoscan arches worldwide. This ensured that the latest and most accurate version of the AI model was always in use, supporting Autoscan’s global operations efficiently.
The reduction in manual labor and inspection time allowed Autoscan to handle a larger volume of vehicles without increasing staffing costs. The improved efficiency and reduced inspection times led to substantial cost savings, while the self-learning AI model provided a long-term solution that continues to evolve and optimize operations, giving Autoscan a competitive edge in the automotive industry.
The collaboration between Autoscan and Smart Studios resulted in the development of a world-class AI solution for vehicle dent detection. The self-learning AI model, coupled with cloud integration, ensured continuous improvement, global scalability, and enhanced accuracy in identifying vehicle dents and car parts. This successful execution demonstrates Smart Studios’ expertise in developing cutting-edge AI solutions, supporting Autoscan’s business growth and long-term success in the global market.
This project exemplifies the importance of combining AI technology with agile methodologies and cloud infrastructure to deliver scalable and intelligent solutions tailored to specific industry challenges.
