Sony Is Working To Unleash Self-Driving AI Sensors

Famous tech giant Sony is working on delivering self-driving sensors that the company claims utilize less energy. As electric car development continues to gain traction, the industry is still looking for ways to enhance operations.

Electric vehicles with autonomous features would benefit from the range provided by the sensors and boost their mobility.

According to reports, with its software and Sony’s semiconductor system, the Japanese unicorn Tier IV will power the new sensors. 

Sony Plans for Self-Driving Cars by 2030

The partners are developing a high-end Level 4 electric car that the Society of Automotive Engineers envisioned as the best without equal. That is, the vehicle is self-driving without the need for human control.

However, unlike others, Level 4 autonomous vehicles require more than just engineering to succeed. The team has begun building massive hardware like sensors and cameras that can transmit data loads. In addition, there is also the need for an enormous amount of power to make for a seamless operation.

The power demand is enormous compared to the power demands of air conditioners and other machinery. However, Sony is planning to reduce the energy-intensive nature of electric vehicles by utilizing edge computing.

With this, the sensors will process the massive power demand through detectors equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. The software and other systems will process the power demands rather than push them to external protocols.

Meanwhile, this new strategy is viewed by industry experts as the perfect solution to make autonomous vehicles safer. Likewise, the new device will drastically reduce communication lag between components.

Insider sources familiar with the project revealed that Sony plans to integrate an image recognition system. In addition, Sony will add radar technology to help drive in harsh weather conditions.

Sony’s Growing Influence

The tech giant is one of the most prominent players in the industry, controlling 50% of the global market for image sensor technology. It has vast expertise in edge computing and producing chips for retail and industrial use.

For its part, Tier IV is a rapidly expanding open-source software development platform. It has multiple partnerships with leading electronic and automobile companies. It also plays a massive role in developing electric vehicle makers worldwide using its exceptional innovations.

Meanwhile, Sony is a recent entrant into the automotive industry. One year ago, Sony unveiled the VISION-S. The new VISION-S is a sedan electric car concept for sports utility vehicles (SUVs).

The Japanese tech behemoth also launched its first electric car prototype in 2020 at the CES event in Las Vegas. Moreover, the electric car is part of the company’s VISION-S projects, which will kick into full gear in the coming years.

Sony’s CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida, revealed that the company is on an ambitious move to dive into mobility. The focus of Sony, as per Yoshida, is to develop the next trendy vehicle using innovative ideas.

Sony wants to dominate the autonomous vehicle space, but it has revealed that safety is one focus it will work on now.