Sony invests in ZMP unmanned vehicles

Google and Apple are not the only technology giants interested in the transport of the future: Sony has invested $ 842,000 in Japanese startup ZMP , which is developing unmanned vehicles.



ZMP develops robo cars, the first of which, RoBoCar MEV, introduced in 2011. Sony acquired a 2 percent share in a startup. The companies plan to develop technologies for unmanned vehicles, combining the experience of ZMP in robotics and Sony technology in the field of video sensors. Sony's ZMP investment does not mean that there will be cars with the Sony logo on the streets: the company plans to use cameras in other robotic cars.

Sony owns 40 percent of the global CMOS market. They are used in the iPhone and other smartphones, in digital cameras and tablets. Omnivision and Samsung Electronics , which have 16 percent market share, follow the companies in the ranking. In the case of robotic cars, Sony holds 5 percent of the sensor market. The company has allocated a separate business group that specializes in sensors for cars, and actively hires engineers. Last October, Sony announced that it would begin production of sensors capable of getting a high-quality image even on moonless nights.
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Electric robot from ZMP in action.