February 17, 2015 at 09:33Sony invests in ZMP unmanned vehicles
Google and Apple are not the only technology giants interested in transport of the future: Sony has invested $ 842,000 in a Japanese startup ZMP developing unmanned vehicles.
ZMP is developing robotic vehicles, the first of which, RoBoCar MEV, introduced in 2011. Sony acquired a startup stake of 2 percent. The companies plan to develop technology for unmanned vehicles, combining ZMP's robotics expertise with Sony's video sensor technology. Sony’s investment in ZMP doesn’t mean that cars with the Sony logo will appear on the streets: the company plans to use cameras in other robotic cars.
Sony owns 40 percent of the global CMOS sensor market. They are used in iPhone and other smartphones, in digital cameras and tablets. Following the companies in the ranking are Omnivision and Samsung Electronics , each having 16 percent of the market. In the case of robotic vehicles, Sony occupies 5 percent of the sensor market. The company has allocated a separate business group that specializes in sensors for cars, and is actively hiring engineers. Last October, Sony announced that it would begin production of sensors capable of producing high-quality images even on moonless nights.
Electric robots from ZMP in action.
ZMP is developing robotic vehicles, the first of which, RoBoCar MEV, introduced in 2011. Sony acquired a startup stake of 2 percent. The companies plan to develop technology for unmanned vehicles, combining ZMP's robotics expertise with Sony's video sensor technology. Sony’s investment in ZMP doesn’t mean that cars with the Sony logo will appear on the streets: the company plans to use cameras in other robotic cars.
Sony owns 40 percent of the global CMOS sensor market. They are used in iPhone and other smartphones, in digital cameras and tablets. Following the companies in the ranking are Omnivision and Samsung Electronics , each having 16 percent of the market. In the case of robotic vehicles, Sony occupies 5 percent of the sensor market. The company has allocated a separate business group that specializes in sensors for cars, and is actively hiring engineers. Last October, Sony announced that it would begin production of sensors capable of producing high-quality images even on moonless nights.
Electric robots from ZMP in action.