Tech

Sony aims to improve the safety of autonomous driving with Vision S

Just throw more sensors at the problem.

Sony announced a new initiative, Vision S, in the form of a sleek car at CES on Monday. This “vision” for the future of mobility focuses on safety, entertainment, and adaptability. The prototype vehicle was created in partnership with Magna Australia and features 33 sensors keeping track of variables inside and outside of the car. The sensors and the technology behind them aim to tackle the safety concerns surrounding autonomous vehicles' ability to detect objects.

The Vision S experience — The sensor fusion, part of Sony’s Safety Cocoon Concept, aims to correct the inaccuracies of traditional sensor fusion by using raw data. Processed by CMOS image sensors that leverage HDR, LED flicker mitigation, and Sony’s Solid Star LiDar, using raw data offers improved recognition of long-distance objects, even in harsh weather.

The car also features 360 Reality Audio for an immersive audio experience complemented by a panoramic dash screen for driving information and entertainment titles. A time-of-flight sensor recognizes people and objects in the car in order to improve infotainment offerings.

For adaptability, the vehicle connects to the cloud for regular, seamless updates in order to future-proof its abilities. Yeah, the adaptability part of this mission is just software updates.