Sony Vision S and Collaboration with Honda to Market EV

Carbon82 · January 7, 2020

With this, is Sony signalling to the world its intention to venture into EV manufacturing?

Carbon82 · January 7, 2020

Carbon82 · January 7, 2020

Sony's Technology - Moving Towards Evolution in Mobility
IWe are in an age in which the cars of the future, once visible only in our imaginations, are finally becoming a reality. It is not only hardware in the form of cars that is changing. The conventions of our daily lives and society are also being transformed.

Sony wants to re-imagine mobility as we know it. How can we inspire people through mobility? How can we provide greater peace of mind? How can we contribute to society and the environment? Sony will open up a new world of mobility using its creativity and technology.

Sony exists as a citizen of society and the Earth. We believe that new human lifestyles exist beyond the realms of new mobility. Sony will work directly toward that ideal.

Creating Enriching Moments Beyond a New Vision
Sony is working to thoroughly understand the mechanism of cars – to not only comprehend how they are made and the challenges they present, but also their relevance to society. Towards this goal, Sony has developed a car that is both drivable and gives full consideration to safety. The car represents a fusion of Sony's technology and creativity. It is a glimpse into the future of mobility, encompassing the evolution of safety, comfort, entertainment and adaptability. The VISION-S Prototype – riding in it feels extremely secure. Just sitting in it evokes excitement. Being with it affords a timeless relationship. It is a car that will evolve mobility into an enriching experience.

Numerous Sensors that Continually Monitor the Internal and External Environment
In the forthcoming self-driving era, the basic foundation of comfort will be supported by safety and security: the ability to take precautions far more thoroughly, more carefully and faster than humans. Sony's "Safety Cocoon" concept will contribute greatly to the achievement of such cars.

While monitoring all directions outside of the car, the technology will also pay careful attention to the passengers within. This is in addition to of course providing driving and parking assistance.
This all-encapsulating sensing technology brings peace of mind to those riding the car.

Oval Sensing
There are a total of 33 automotive grade sensors (including Sony CMOS sensors) installed both inside and outside the car. While keeping a watchful eye 360 degrees around the body, safety is also thoroughly monitored when the car is in motion. The cocoon-like layout also underlies the "Oval" design theme.

Driving Assistance
The network of sensors throughout the car enables 360-degree recognition of traffic conditions.

The sensors provide precise driving assistance, such as advanced cruise control, self-parking and auto-lane change functions, that corresponds to Level 2+ driver assistance. It not only enables safe, secure driving but also allows energy efficient driving and stress reduction. Software updates allow for continual performance upgrades, with the aim of ultimately achieving Level 4 or higher self-driving in the future.

Advance Camera Monitoring System
Conventional automotive mirrors have advanced to a new level of performance through sensing and visual technology. Camera sensors will capture approaching vehicles and pedestrians and send an alert even before they can be detected by the human eye.

The three large displays in the cabin can be appropriately aligned according to the driver's preference or urgency. For example, the room display (room mirror) in the center can show the view from both sides of the vehicle. The high-brightness and resolution of each display ensures high visibility. If there is glare from the headlights of cars behind, HDR and other signal processing technology will enable the brightness to be adjusted. Sony will aim to leverage its array of sensing technologies to realize this next-generation safety system, providing smart mirrors that offer greater visibility and intelligence than conventional mirrors.

Driver Monitoring
Inside the cabin, sensors will monitor the condition of drivers and passengers. The facial expression and body movement of drivers will be used to gauge their concentration and fatigue levels, sending out alerts as necessary. The cabin temperature will be adjusted according to the condition and feelings of passengers. The safety of passengers will not be the only goal – the aim is to also achieve a cabin environment that will be sensitive to people's comfort.

Getting on Board Will Mean Jumping into a World of Excitement
With the spread of 5G and advancement of self-driving technology, people will eventually be relieved from car operations. The car cabin will evolve into a comfortable environment, like the space inside a living room. When that time comes, what should the experience of being transported in a car offer? Sony wants to create a mobile entertainment space with a field of sound that encapsulates the entire body, a luxurious visual world of moving images, and intuitive user interfaces – all packed within the cabin. The future that awaits us may be a new type of mobility in which people climb on board their cars to enjoy their free time.

360 Reality Audio - So immersive. So real.
Having the body encapsulated by sound from all directions is an unprecedented and immersive audio experience made possible by 360 Reality Audio. Object-based spatial audio technology is utilized to recreate vivid realism that makes people feel like the artist is performing right before them.

Each musical element, such as vocals or instruments, can be placed in a spherical sound field based on the artists intended position. During playback, sound comes from 360-degrees around the listener to recreate performances with invigorating reality.

Individual Seat Speaker
The realistic experience that 360 Reality Audio aims to achieve will be based around the car's seat speakers. The aim is to create a world in which each passenger can enjoy his or her favorite music in their seats with a personalized sound configuration.

Listening on your own, or with everybody?
An optimized speaker layout based on our most advanced audio engineering has been meticulously designed from the ground up. With Sony's audio signal processing technology, this provides an exquisitely real audio experience that best utilizes the cabin space.

Panoramic Screen
In today's living room environment, the convenience of enjoying video at your fingertips is now considered the norm. This "enjoy video anywhere at any time" experience will also be extended to the world of cars. On entering the car, the drivers and passengers will see before them a row of displays that create a wide screen. Going from place to place every day will become a time for people to indulge in the luxury of enjoying movies and other video. The ergonomic user interface will be extremely intuitive, with each driver and passenger able to freely access content. A jog dial will also be installed, allowing fingertip video control, even if the viewer has chosen to recline their seats.

Always Connected to the Outside World, the Car Continuously Grows
In this age in which all products and data are interconnected, cars have also become a part of that network. The built-in software continually evolves via the Internet. The overall hardware of the car, as part of this, will continue to develop. It will evolve from a conventional group of independent systems that have predetermined functions, to an advanced integrated and linked system that has the potential to grow. Sony has its eyes set on realizing the continual evolution of cars via networks, and the creation of a car society in which each owner possesses a single vehicle for a long time, and minimizes their environmental impact.

Vision-S Link
Cars are becoming connected to the world of networks, and there will be smooth coordination between multiple cars, or cars and smart devices. A single tap will allow drivers to summon their parked car to their present location. A map being viewed by a driver outside of the car will display automatically on the car’s panoramic screen as soon as the driver enters. Music that a passenger is listening to on their earphones before getting into a car will automatically be transferred to the car's speakers as it embarks. Convenience and entertainment that were in the palm of a person's hand will seamlessly transfer to the world inside a car when the person gets in.

Personalized Cabin
This is a car that gets closer to and understands you. If it detects a sleeping passenger in the back seat, the car will automatically control the climate around that seat to a suitable temperature. It will keep learning, whether it is about preferred cabin temperatures, music, driving settings, routes, or various other driver and passenger preferences. The aim is to develop a car that learns each time people board it, and develops into an intelligent partner.

Updatable System
"Completion" may be a thing of the past for cars of the future. A car's system will be repeatedly updated over time. Cloud artificial intelligence will interact and learn as part of the sensing system, enabling it to become even more highly intelligent and functional. The longer a person continues to use a car, the more the car will evolve, resulting in richer experiences and generating new appeal.

Achieving a Diverse Cabin Environment
A long wheelbase brought about by a compact and highly flexible powertrain layout, which is distinctive of pure EVs, and the development of ultrathin battery packs will provide a best-in-class cabin environment.

EV Platform
The newly designed EV platform enables its application for various uses and car types, not just coupes but also sedans, SUVs and MPVs.

Safety
The car is designed with the goal of acquiring top scores in automobile safety tests around the world. The aim is to offer a rich and safe mobility experience by combining advanced active safety offered by sensors, and passive safety.

Software Defined E/E Architecture
Adopting a next-generation architecture, the E/E system is designed to support constant monitoring through connectivity that is enabled by a 5G network and over-the-air (OTA) system updates. The vehicle system will endlessly evolve by working together, undergoing reintegration and being continually updated and optimized.

kobayashiGT · January 7, 2020

2 hours ago, Carbon82 said:

I am not too sure how real is this car. but the brembo brake confirms real one. hahah.

Carbon82 · January 8, 2020

14 hours ago, kobayashiGT said:

I am not too sure how real is this car. but the brembo brake confirms real one. hahah.

Wah lau, of all things you go and look at the brake?! 🤣🤣

I am waiting for some to comment that the concept looks like Porsche Taycan, or worrying that the face recognition function would pose a problem for the small 3, or to say that in future don't need car key any more... ...

kobayashiGT · January 8, 2020

18 minutes ago, Carbon82 said:

Wah lau, of all things you go and look at the brake?! 🤣🤣

I am waiting for some to comment that the concept looks like Porsche Taycan, or worrying that the face recognition function would pose a problem for the small 3, or to say that in future don't need car key any more... ...

Haha. I think that's the only thing I can buy from this concept car mah.

I think sony will sell the concept to automotive players like subaru or mazda which they lack of the development to electric car. Smth like what dyson is doing.

But I hope they can at least have the vision-s at PS4's gran turismo 8. hahaha. At least still can go my fren place and drive it. hahahahaha.

Carbon82 · January 8, 2020

4 minutes ago, kobayashiGT said:

Haha. I think that's the only thing I can buy from this concept car mah.

I think sony will sell the concept to automotive players like subaru or mazda which they lack of the development to electric car. Smth like what dyson is doing.

But I hope they can at least have the vision-s at PS4's gran turismo 8. hahaha. At least still can go my fren place and drive it. hahahahaha.

Highly possible that Sony will be either selling the concept to other Japanese manufacturers, or team up with them to shift away from consumers electronic sector, which they have not be doing well in the past few years.

It will be a huge investment they take it up by themselves, and they also lack the technical know how with automobile manufacturing.

RickyWee · August 4, 2020

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a33482352/sony-vision-s-prototype-testing/

Sony Vision-S Prototype Moves from CES Stage to On-Road Testing in Tokyo

Sony surprised the world with the Vision-S debut at CES this year, so releasing a new video out of nowhere to show that work continues on the sleek EV is par for the course.

There's still no word on Sony's production plans—if any—but testing sensor technology in a cool package like this sure attracts attention.

Sony took a public interest in sensors for autonomous vehicles in 2014, and the Vision-S has 33 of them.

The history of Sony's surprise electric vehicle concept, the Vision-S, goes like this, according to the three press releases the company has issued about the car:

January 7, 2020: "Vision-S" Unveiled at CES 2020 in Las Vegas

January 2020: Back at the engineering facility in Graz

July 2020: Arrived in Tokyo for development

That pretty much sums up how the electronics giant is treating its possible entry into the automotive space. Step one: make a splash with a concept EV at one of the biggest events on the automotive calendar. Step two: retreat to Austria and say nothing for half a year. Step three: make another splash by releasing a short video that explains little other than that the car has made it to Tokyo.

That's where we are now. Sony's new video shows the car driving in Tokyo and people (presumably Sony engineers) looking at it knowingly. Sony says that it is "currently under development for public road testing this fiscal year," so now we expect another cryptic announcement before too long.

Heres what we know about the Vision-S. Sony is working on the project with partners, including Magna Steyr, and hasn't said anything official about putting it into production. After CES, Sony did say that it was preparing to test the EV this year but didn't give out details other than that prototype vehicle is simply "intended to illustrate our future concepts in the area of mobility."

The Vision-S rides on an all-electric platform that could be used for multiple vehicle bodies, including coupe, sedan and SUV. While details about the battery pack have never been mentioned, Sony has said that the 5180-lb EV uses a dual-motor system that can move it from zero to 60 mph in a claimed 4.8 seconds and on up to a top speed of 149 mph. Sony has also said that the Vision-S has 33 sensors, including radar, lidar, and cameras.

For decades, Sony's connection to the auto industry was pretty much limited to car stereo systems. In 2014, the company announced that it would build image sensors "that surpass the human eye" for autonomous vehicles. It didn't mention anything about making its own autonomous vehicle. Sometimes, the less said the better.

Fitvip · August 4, 2020

On 1/7/2020 at 5:28 PM, Carbon82 said:

VISION-S PROTOTYPE VEHICLE

Sony's Technology - Moving Towards Evolution in Mobility
IWe are in an age in which the cars of the future, once visible only in our imaginations, are finally becoming a reality. It is not only hardware in the form of cars that is changing. The conventions of our daily lives and society are also being transformed.

Sony wants to re-imagine mobility as we know it. How can we inspire people through mobility? How can we provide greater peace of mind? How can we contribute to society and the environment? Sony will open up a new world of mobility using its creativity and technology.

Sony exists as a citizen of society and the Earth. We believe that new human lifestyles exist beyond the realms of new mobility. Sony will work directly toward that ideal.

Creating Enriching Moments Beyond a New Vision
Sony is working to thoroughly understand the mechanism of cars – to not only comprehend how they are made and the challenges they present, but also their relevance to society. Towards this goal, Sony has developed a car that is both drivable and gives full consideration to safety. The car represents a fusion of Sony's technology and creativity. It is a glimpse into the future of mobility, encompassing the evolution of safety, comfort, entertainment and adaptability. The VISION-S Prototype – riding in it feels extremely secure. Just sitting in it evokes excitement. Being with it affords a timeless relationship. It is a car that will evolve mobility into an enriching experience.

Numerous Sensors that Continually Monitor the Internal and External Environment
In the forthcoming self-driving era, the basic foundation of comfort will be supported by safety and security: the ability to take precautions far more thoroughly, more carefully and faster than humans. Sony's "Safety Cocoon" concept will contribute greatly to the achievement of such cars.

While monitoring all directions outside of the car, the technology will also pay careful attention to the passengers within. This is in addition to of course providing driving and parking assistance.
This all-encapsulating sensing technology brings peace of mind to those riding the car.

Oval Sensing
There are a total of 33 automotive grade sensors (including Sony CMOS sensors) installed both inside and outside the car. While keeping a watchful eye 360 degrees around the body, safety is also thoroughly monitored when the car is in motion. The cocoon-like layout also underlies the "Oval" design theme.

Driving Assistance
The network of sensors throughout the car enables 360-degree recognition of traffic conditions.

The sensors provide precise driving assistance, such as advanced cruise control, self-parking and auto-lane change functions, that corresponds to Level 2+ driver assistance. It not only enables safe, secure driving but also allows energy efficient driving and stress reduction. Software updates allow for continual performance upgrades, with the aim of ultimately achieving Level 4 or higher self-driving in the future.

Advance Camera Monitoring System
Conventional automotive mirrors have advanced to a new level of performance through sensing and visual technology. Camera sensors will capture approaching vehicles and pedestrians and send an alert even before they can be detected by the human eye.

The three large displays in the cabin can be appropriately aligned according to the driver's preference or urgency. For example, the room display (room mirror) in the center can show the view from both sides of the vehicle. The high-brightness and resolution of each display ensures high visibility. If there is glare from the headlights of cars behind, HDR and other signal processing technology will enable the brightness to be adjusted. Sony will aim to leverage its array of sensing technologies to realize this next-generation safety system, providing smart mirrors that offer greater visibility and intelligence than conventional mirrors.

Driver Monitoring
Inside the cabin, sensors will monitor the condition of drivers and passengers. The facial expression and body movement of drivers will be used to gauge their concentration and fatigue levels, sending out alerts as necessary. The cabin temperature will be adjusted according to the condition and feelings of passengers. The safety of passengers will not be the only goal – the aim is to also achieve a cabin environment that will be sensitive to people's comfort.

Getting on Board Will Mean Jumping into a World of Excitement
With the spread of 5G and advancement of self-driving technology, people will eventually be relieved from car operations. The car cabin will evolve into a comfortable environment, like the space inside a living room. When that time comes, what should the experience of being transported in a car offer? Sony wants to create a mobile entertainment space with a field of sound that encapsulates the entire body, a luxurious visual world of moving images, and intuitive user interfaces – all packed within the cabin. The future that awaits us may be a new type of mobility in which people climb on board their cars to enjoy their free time.

360 Reality Audio - So immersive. So real.
Having the body encapsulated by sound from all directions is an unprecedented and immersive audio experience made possible by 360 Reality Audio. Object-based spatial audio technology is utilized to recreate vivid realism that makes people feel like the artist is performing right before them.

Each musical element, such as vocals or instruments, can be placed in a spherical sound field based on the artists intended position. During playback, sound comes from 360-degrees around the listener to recreate performances with invigorating reality.

Individual Seat Speaker
The realistic experience that 360 Reality Audio aims to achieve will be based around the car's seat speakers. The aim is to create a world in which each passenger can enjoy his or her favorite music in their seats with a personalized sound configuration.

Listening on your own, or with everybody?
An optimized speaker layout based on our most advanced audio engineering has been meticulously designed from the ground up. With Sony's audio signal processing technology, this provides an exquisitely real audio experience that best utilizes the cabin space.

Panoramic Screen
In today's living room environment, the convenience of enjoying video at your fingertips is now considered the norm. This "enjoy video anywhere at any time" experience will also be extended to the world of cars. On entering the car, the drivers and passengers will see before them a row of displays that create a wide screen. Going from place to place every day will become a time for people to indulge in the luxury of enjoying movies and other video. The ergonomic user interface will be extremely intuitive, with each driver and passenger able to freely access content. A jog dial will also be installed, allowing fingertip video control, even if the viewer has chosen to recline their seats.

Always Connected to the Outside World, the Car Continuously Grows
In this age in which all products and data are interconnected, cars have also become a part of that network. The built-in software continually evolves via the Internet. The overall hardware of the car, as part of this, will continue to develop. It will evolve from a conventional group of independent systems that have predetermined functions, to an advanced integrated and linked system that has the potential to grow. Sony has its eyes set on realizing the continual evolution of cars via networks, and the creation of a car society in which each owner possesses a single vehicle for a long time, and minimizes their environmental impact.

Vision-S Link
Cars are becoming connected to the world of networks, and there will be smooth coordination between multiple cars, or cars and smart devices. A single tap will allow drivers to summon their parked car to their present location. A map being viewed by a driver outside of the car will display automatically on the car’s panoramic screen as soon as the driver enters. Music that a passenger is listening to on their earphones before getting into a car will automatically be transferred to the car's speakers as it embarks. Convenience and entertainment that were in the palm of a person's hand will seamlessly transfer to the world inside a car when the person gets in.

Personalized Cabin
This is a car that gets closer to and understands you. If it detects a sleeping passenger in the back seat, the car will automatically control the climate around that seat to a suitable temperature. It will keep learning, whether it is about preferred cabin temperatures, music, driving settings, routes, or various other driver and passenger preferences. The aim is to develop a car that learns each time people board it, and develops into an intelligent partner.

Updatable System
"Completion" may be a thing of the past for cars of the future. A car's system will be repeatedly updated over time. Cloud artificial intelligence will interact and learn as part of the sensing system, enabling it to become even more highly intelligent and functional. The longer a person continues to use a car, the more the car will evolve, resulting in richer experiences and generating new appeal.

Achieving a Diverse Cabin Environment
A long wheelbase brought about by a compact and highly flexible powertrain layout, which is distinctive of pure EVs, and the development of ultrathin battery packs will provide a best-in-class cabin environment.

EV Platform
The newly designed EV platform enables its application for various uses and car types, not just coupes but also sedans, SUVs and MPVs.

Safety
The car is designed with the goal of acquiring top scores in automobile safety tests around the world. The aim is to offer a rich and safe mobility experience by combining advanced active safety offered by sensors, and passive safety.

Software Defined E/E Architecture
Adopting a next-generation architecture, the E/E system is designed to support constant monitoring through connectivity that is enabled by a 5G network and over-the-air (OTA) system updates. The vehicle system will endlessly evolve by working together, undergoing reintegration and being continually updated and optimized.

Impressive! It is a futuristic design with coupe body shape. This would optimise the cabin space. With a 3-metre wheel base, it should have ample leg rooms for both the driver and the rear passengers. Shoulder rooms shouldn't be a problem with the car width at 1900mm. It is quite a heavy car at 2350 kgs.

I quite like the simple logo!

Stratovarius · January 5, 2022

Sony coming out with their EVs! Maybe achieving a trophy in GT will unlock a performance boost for their cars. Lol.

https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/202201/22-002E/

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Sony-to-set-up-mobility-company-for-EV-push

Ct3833 · January 5, 2022

Without the combustion engine, EV will be primarily electical, electronics, software, and AI can imagine soon Samsing, LG, Philips etc will be joining the race.😅

Edited January 5, 2022 by Ct3833

kobayashiGT · January 5, 2022

13 minutes ago, Ct3833 said:

Without the combustion engine, EV will be primarily electical, electronics, software, and AI can imagine soon Samsing, LG, Philips etc will be joining the race.😅

don't forget apple.

I don't mind Sonos come in the race. Woah. the sound system inside the car. :secret-laugh:

Sdf4786k · January 5, 2022

@kobayashiGT xiaomi

Dyson die liao

DOBIEMKZ · January 5, 2022

1 hour ago, Ct3833 said:

Without the combustion engine, EV will be primarily electical, electronics, software, and AI can imagine soon Samsing, LG, Philips etc will be joining the race.😅

Hmmm... the crux of the question is when the time comes to buy an EV, will one want to buy one produced by a company without heritage in car-making? Not withstanding its expertise in electronics and softwares. 🙄🙄🙄

Edited January 5, 2022 by DOBIEMKZ

Ct3833 · January 5, 2022

34 minutes ago, DOBIEMKZ said:

Hmmm... the crux of the question is when the time comes to buy an EV, will one want to buy one produced by a company without heritage in car-making? Not withstanding its expertise in electronics and softwares. 🙄🙄🙄

While people can talk about drivability, handling , comfort etc, these electronic giant may not be the best in this area but they just have to do a decent job, the rest of appeal will depend on their innovation, technology and AI which they can be good at. Nokia never thought they will run out of business during their prime time, during the early state of digital image technology, people were resistant about digital camera, today nikon is struggling to stay afloat, Sony who is an electronic company, is producing better cmos and full size camera than anyone else in the world. End of the day is price, product innovation and product packaging that will drive sales.