At CES 2020, Sony officially announced a new electric car called Vision S. Sony began 5G driving tests in April 2021 and started road testing in Europe in December 2021 to exclusively demonstrate the concept in the real world.
At CES 2022, Sony unveiled an SUV-type prototype vehicle (Vision-S 02) as a new form factor. Additionally, the vehicle uses the same EV/Cloud as the prototype Vision-S 01 which is being tested on the road.
The system installed on the Vision S supports safe driving by analyzing the surrounding environment with sensors installed 360 degrees around the car. The sensors include; high-sensitivity, high-resolution, wide dynamic range CMOS image sensors and LiDAR sensors that sense three-dimensional space.
The system also interacts with the driver intuitively together with the sound system of the vehicle and HMI system. Sony is currently conducting functional verification tests in Europe towards the release of Level 2+ ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) for public roads.
The vehicle also features Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors installed to monitor functions of the driver’s authentication as well as to watch over the passengers. Furthermore, the sensor also supports voice commands and intuitive gestures.
The 5G communication system features low-latency, high capacity, high speed capabilities and allows the driver to synchronize the key lock and user settings to the vehicle.
In addition, Sony placed remote operations as important technology for future autonomous driving era, to achieve this, the company conducted driving experiments connecting Germany and Japan via 5G and is working to achieve low-latency transmission and communication control using the telematics system installed on the Vision S 01.
For entertainment, the vehicle features seat speakers that create a three-dimensional sound field and a streaming service compatible with 360 Reality Audio to ensure immersive music experience as if in a live performance.
The new Vision S features a fully integrated digital video service (Bravia Core for Vision S) to provide high-quality movie experience. The service also allows video playbacks on the panoramic screen and rear seat displays.
