Ford, ADT Team on Monitored Vehicle Security System for Trucks, Vans

Ford and ADT will invest in Canopy, a joint venture within Ford’s New Business Platform incubation group, to provide AI-powered connected security cameras and a mobile app for various vehicle makes and models, the companies said Tuesday. Canopy’s first smart vehicle security system accessory offering will make use of acoustic sensors for vans, onboard cameras, radar, LTE and GPS, the companies said. The initial product will have a camera that can be mounted in a van’s cargo area or on a pickup facing the bed. The platform will use AI technology to identify and report credible threats while reducing false alarm signals, they said. Customers will be notified of suspicious activity via smartphone alert and can connect to the system via the Canopy app to livestream video from the vehicle or review past events, they said. Notifications will be triggered by breaking glass, metal cutting or suspicious motion or sound near the vehicle, they said. Customers can warn potential thieves they are being monitored by speaking through the smartphone app, enabled by a two-way audio feature due next year. The system’s AI is designed to distinguish true threats from benign acts -- such as a cat jumping into a pickup bed or construction sounds near a vehicle -- before alerting the owner or ADT monitoring agents of potential theft. The system will alert ADT monitoring pros if it detects a person loitering around or breaching the vehicle; agents can contact customers, fleet managers, or police to take additional measures. Canopy products will be sold through vehicle dealerships, major retailers and online. Canopy plans to launch the multi-sensor security systems with available professional monitoring early next year in the U.S. and U.K for the Ford F-150, F-150 Lightning, Transit vans and E-Transit. The system will be “easily installable” by customers to protect work and recreational equipment, the companies said. Canopy, which has been developing and testing its first technologies for two years, will be headquartered in Detroit and London and led by interim CEO Christian Moran, they said. It expects to expand offerings to other manufacturers over time. Ford and ADT’s investment in Canopy, due to close in Q2, is subject to regulatory approvals. The partners expect to invest an initial $100 million over the next three years.