Yamaha partners with Sony to develop new vehicle
Yamaha Motor Co. announced that it has partnered with Sony Corporations to develop the SC-1 Sociable Cart, a vehicle that delivers a new low-speed mobility experience. The SC-1 brings together a fusion of Yamaha Motor’s autonomous driving technology and Sony’s entertainment imaging technology. The two companies plan to launch Japanese domestic services using this model in fiscal 2019. The SC-1 was developed solely for the purpose of providing a new mobility experience, and will not be made available for sale.
As well as images of the surroundings captured by cameras, the SC-1 can project a range of video and mixed reality (MR)¹ images which suit its current location onto the high-resolution displays installed on the vehicle interior and exterior. Doing so creates an entertainment space unmatched by any traditional vehicle, aiming to provide a more enjoyable low-speed mobility value to occupants and people nearby.
In addition, the SC-1 applies AI analysis to data about the vehicle’s surroundings gathered by the advanced image sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and LiDAR² system, enabling display of optimal travel assistance, as well as the ideal information (route guidance, store information, entertainment, news streaming, advertisements, etc.) to suit people’s attributes such as age and gender.
To date, Yamaha Motor has worked together with Sony on vehicle development through initiatives such as the prototype model based on electric golf cars (announced in 2016) and the New Concept Cart SC-1 concept model (announced in 2017), and pursued both technology development and evaluation of customer requirements via projects including the Moonlight Cruise limited-time night-time golf course ride experience service at Kanucha Resort (in Nago City, Okinawa).
This joint development forms part of “ART for Human Possibilities, Rethinking Solutions, Transforming Mobility,” one aspect of the Company’s long-term vision. Yamaha Motor is engaged in providing enjoyable mobility and addressing social issues in the unique style of Yamaha through its diverse product groups such as electric golf cars, small and low speed PPMs (Public Personal Mobility: land cars), electric motorcycles, electrically power assisted bicycles, electric wheelchairs, and drones.
■Key Specifications
- Overall length x width x height: 3,135mm x 1,306mm x 1,830mm
- Capacity: Five passengers
- Speed: 0-19km/h
- Installed monitors: Interior: 49″ 4K LCD monitor; Exterior: Four 55″ 4K LCD monitors
- Drive system: DC motor
- Battery type: Lithium-ion polymer battery
- Braking system: Hydraulic four-wheel disc brakes and motor regenerative braking
- Suspension: Front double wishbone type and rear link type
- Autonomous driving method: Electromagnetic induction
1: Imaging by mixed reality (MR) technology developed by Sony
2: Technology which uses lasers to detect the range and direction of objects by emitting laser light and measuring the time taken for it to bounce back
