BackCES 2020: Sony springs a surprise with new electric car prototype
According to Sony, the car is fitted with a whopping 33 sensorsSony said the technology used in the VISION-S can be used in other types of vehicles
_1578393979178.jpg "The vehicle, known as VISION-S, is being showcased at the company’s booth at CES")
PremiumIn perhaps the biggest surprise of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020, Japanese electronics giant, Sony, has unveiled a new prototype of electric car. The vehicle, known as VISION-S, is being showcased at the company’s booth at CES.
According to Sony, the car is fitted with a whopping 33 sensors, which includes CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor) image sensors and ToF (time of flight) sensors. Both these technologies are common in smartphone cameras. It is also an always-connected vehicle.
While CMOS sensors are used for regular camera imaging on phones, ToF sensors help measure depth and are often used for portrait mode photos on smartphones. Sony, presumable, uses them to identify people, objects, traffic etc. in the car.
The car will also have a Sony audio system inside, which the company calls “360 Reality Audio". The system is “built into each seat,'' according to Sony. In addition, the front seats have a panoramic screen for playing content. “This prototype embodies our contribution to the future of mobility," said Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony.
Further, on stage at CES, Sony said the technology used in the VISION-S can be used in other types of vehicles. It’s unclear whether that includes all other kinds of vehicles though.
While the VISION-S seems to suggest a new direction for Sony, it’s more likely a proof of concept for what the company can do in automobiles. For instance, the CMOS image sensors being used in the car are likely the same that Sony supplies to smartphone makers all over the world. These are tiny low power semiconductor chips that are used for imaging on mobile devices, and has been proved by phones, they are capable of high quality and high resolution imaging already.
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