Toyoda Gosei invests in vehicle-safety device firm

Kiyosu, Japan – Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd (TG) is investing in Pyrenee Inc., a Tokyo-based developer of safe-driving assistance devices, TG has announced.

Pyrenee has developed a retrofit device that captures things around the vehicle that drivers fail to notice, said TG – linking the move to its airbags supply activities.

Mounted on the dashboard or elsewhere in the vehicle, the device can detect pedestrians and other automobiles and predicts their movement with AI.

When it determines that there is a risk of collision, it notifies the driver by voice, thereby contributing to a decrease in the likelihood of accidents – potentially of about 70%.

TG said it invested in Pyrenee to “reduce traffic accidents through a comprehensive approach of combining passive safety and preventive safety.”

The goal, it added, is “not only reducing injuries/deaths in case of traffic accidents, but also preventing traffic accidents caused by driver neglect and other human errors.”

Furthermore, TG envisages that the collaboration will lead to the integration of Pyrenee’s driving assist technology into Toyoda Gosei’s safety systems and interior products.