Sony Experiments Self-Driving Cars To Lift Sensing and Safety Technologies

Today, Sony Corp announced it would begin testing its self-driving cars. The trial would be as early as this year.

It is to strengthen the company’s sensing and security technologies, as the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant step up its automotive push.

Moreover, Sony has disclosed the plan after unveiling an electric model car with 33 embedded sensors.

The plan revealed image sensors and solid-state light detection and ranging (Lidar) sensors were included at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last Monday.

The concept car has established with the assistance of Bosch, Continental, and other partners. It has also integrated Sony’s in-car entertainment systems with spatial audio technology.

According to a spokesperson, Sony is aiming to begin test rides during the next financial year. It will be starting in April to verify the performance of its auto-related technologies.

Meanwhile, the firm has no plans to create its own cars, he added.

Sony controls the market for smartphone image sensors. On the flip side, it has been struggling to catch up with ON Semiconductor Corp in sensors for automotive functions.

In a statement, Sony Chief Executive Officer Kenichiro Yoshida said at a CES press conference, “It’s not an exaggeration to say that mobile has been the megatrend of the last decade.”

He also added, “I believe the next megatrend will be mobility.”

Features of Sony Xperia 5 Plus

Elsewhere, Sony uncovered the Xperia 5 last September. In a piece of technology news, it appears that the firm will soon follow up with a Plus variation since its CAD renders have leaked online.

The Xperia 5 Plus has a boxy layout like the vanilla 5. On the other side, it has a more significant 6.6″ OLED demonstration surrounded by slighter bezels at the top and bottom.

Moreover, the smartphone also contains dual front-firing speakers and has a depth of 8.1mm (9.3mm with the camera bump).

Like the vanilla 5, the Plus variation also has the power button on the right side. The phone also goes with a fingerprint reader embedded.

It is lined by the volume rocker and the dedicated camera shutter button.

On the left side is the SIM card slot, as well as the USB-C port.

Meanwhile, the Xperia 5 did not have a 3.5mm headphones jack, but Sony has contained one on the Plus variant. The location of the jack is at the top of the phone.

The Xperia 5 Plus has an 8MP selfie camera on the front and a quad-camera setup behind, in terms of optics. It also includes a ToF unit.

However, the rest of the specs of the Xperia 5 Plus are still unknown.