Photo: Sony
Sony and Yamaha Motors have partnered to create and launch the cutest self-driving amusement park cart ever. It looks like it’s ripped from a cartoon and is bound to deliver a new mobility experience.
SC-1 Sociable Cart was launched on August 21 and will become available in Japan in the fiscal 2019. Don’t look for it in dealerships, though, because it won’t go on sale: according to Sony, it will only be used in amusement parks, on golf courses and at commercial facilities.
The first proof-of-concept prototype of SC-1 was created in 2016 and completed in 2017. One year later, it was trialed at a golf course in Okinawa on a special “Moonlight Cruise” ride experience. One year from now, it will become available throughout Japan, to entities looking to deliver a new mobility experience to their customers.
And what an experience it will be: the SC-1 comes equipped with several 4K screens both inside and out, which offer targeted ads for riders and passers-by, and entertainment powered by augmented reality to those inside. The cart won’t top speeds of 11.8mph, will run on a lithium ion polymer battery and seat 5 passengers at once. Windows on it have been replaced by screens which will show riders the world outside in AR, so while they won’t get to where they want to be very quickly, they will have time to make the most of the experience.
“Unlike conventional transport vehicles which are operated by humans, the SC-1 can sense the surrounding environment using images that are in-focus in all directions,” Sony says in a statement.
“Moreover, the ultra-high sensitivity characteristics of the image sensors and the high-resolution display installed inside the vehicle allow the passengers to see their surroundings at night even without any headlights. Also, in addition to normal operation by the passengers, the SC-1 can also be operated remotely by someone viewing the images via the cloud,” the company adds.
To boot, SC-1 is incredibly cute, much like most things coming out of Japan.
The first proof-of-concept prototype of SC-1 was created in 2016 and completed in 2017. One year later, it was trialed at a golf course in Okinawa on a special “Moonlight Cruise” ride experience. One year from now, it will become available throughout Japan, to entities looking to deliver a new mobility experience to their customers.
And what an experience it will be: the SC-1 comes equipped with several 4K screens both inside and out, which offer targeted ads for riders and passers-by, and entertainment powered by augmented reality to those inside. The cart won’t top speeds of 11.8mph, will run on a lithium ion polymer battery and seat 5 passengers at once. Windows on it have been replaced by screens which will show riders the world outside in AR, so while they won’t get to where they want to be very quickly, they will have time to make the most of the experience.
“Unlike conventional transport vehicles which are operated by humans, the SC-1 can sense the surrounding environment using images that are in-focus in all directions,” Sony says in a statement.
“Moreover, the ultra-high sensitivity characteristics of the image sensors and the high-resolution display installed inside the vehicle allow the passengers to see their surroundings at night even without any headlights. Also, in addition to normal operation by the passengers, the SC-1 can also be operated remotely by someone viewing the images via the cloud,” the company adds.
To boot, SC-1 is incredibly cute, much like most things coming out of Japan.
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