A year after Sony’s debut unveiled Vision-S concept car at CES 2020, the Japanese technology giant shows off the latest development of the technology test bed. It can now function on public roads, even in snow passes in Europe. This is also not the end of the project, as Sony intends to take more driving tests in other regions in the future.
The Vision-S has all the safety and entertainment techniques that Sony can pack in the vehicle as a way to develop these features as an automotive supplier. There is still no sign that Sony intends to put this concept into production.
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To keep people safe, the Vision-S, which Sony calls, has the “Safety Cocoon” which contains dozens of sensors to monitor in 360 degrees around the vehicle. At present, the company says that the adaptive vessel control, self-parking system and automatic lane change involves levels 2+ for driving assistance. In the future, the brand wants it to reach level 4 capability, which means it has full self-driving capability, but that it has to steer with a steering wheel.
The Vision-S uses sideview cameras, rather than mirrors. The images appear on the high-resolution screens on either side of the digital screen on the panel width.
The cabin also has cameras that constantly monitor the driver, including the person’s facial expressions, gestures and lip reading. It can see if someone is getting tired and monitor the concentration on the road. The technology can even deduce whether the cabin temperature should be adjusted according to the driver’s behavior.
Sony is also known for entertaining people, and the Vision-S also emphasizes this. There’s a sophisticated stereo with the company’s 360 Reality Audio system that partly creates a sound atmosphere for every occupant by embedding speakers in the seats. In addition, the 5G connection is connected to the PlayStation network, allowing anyone to play video games while on the go.