– Aisin Executes Strategic Investment via Pegasus-Managed CVC Fund and Successfully Forms a Business Alliance with Vayyar –

 

Joint Development of an In-Vehicle Child Presence Detection System

 

＜Overview＞

In 2023, Aisin Corporation, a leading Japanese automotive components manufacturer and member of the Toyota Group, entered into a strategic partnership with Israeli startup Vayyar Imaging to co-develop an in-vehicle child presence detection system. The objective of this initiative was to help prevent tragic incidents in which children are left behind in hot vehicles, particularly during the summer months.

Vayyar Imaging, headquartered in Israel, is a tech company specializing in 4D imaging radar using millimeter-wave technology. Unlike conventional cameras, Vayyar’s sensors do not compromise privacy and can detect the movement of people and objects in real time with high accuracy. Its technology has broad applications across sectors including healthcare (e.g., fall detection), automotive (e.g., in-cabin monitoring), security (e.g., intruder detection), and smart homes (e.g., elder care).

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To enhance its open innovation efforts, Aisin established a corporate venture capital (CVC) subsidiary within Pegasus Tech Ventures in Silicon Valley in 2018. The fund, valued at approximately ¥7.5 billion (approx. $50 million), was created to invest in cutting-edge technologies that align with Aisin’s strategic objectives. Vayyar was introduced to Aisin through Pegasus, which led to a strategic investment and, subsequently, the launch of a joint development project announced in July 2023.

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＜Challenges and Solutions＞

Across the globe, tragic deaths caused by children being left unattended in hot vehicles have become an increasingly serious issue. According to data from the U.S., a total of 1,083 children died from heatstroke in parked vehicles between 1990 and 2023, with an average of 40 fatalities per year over the last five years. In Japan, a highly publicized incident occurred in September 2023, when a 3-year-old child died after being left for about five hours in a daycare shuttle bus during an intense heatwave.

These incidents often stem from a combination of human error (e.g., caregivers forgetting the child), social challenges (e.g., labor shortages in the childcare industry), and organizational shortcomings (e.g., inadequate safety check protocols). Despite public awareness of the issue, effective countermeasures had not been widely implemented, leaving a gap in safety.​

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In response to mounting societal concerns, governments and organizations have begun to act. In the United States, legislative efforts have been launched to mandate child detection systems in vehicles. Similarly, in Europe, vehicle safety authorities have introduced roadmaps recommending the inclusion of child detection features in new cars. Japan also made such safety measures mandatory on school buses nationwide starting in April 2023.

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*Picture from AI Think

Against this backdrop, Aisin and Vayyar pursued a collaboration that would combine Aisin’s extensive experience in automotive safety technology with Vayyar’s advanced radar imaging capabilities. Their joint effort resulted in the development of a system capable of detecting subtle physiological movements such as breathing and heartbeat—even when a child is covered by a blanket or hidden behind a seat. Unlike camera- or infrared-based systems, Vayyar’s millimeter-wave radar enables high-precision detection without compromising user privacy.

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This privacy-conscious approach is particularly important for daycare centers and family-use vehicles, where monitoring must be both effective and respectful of personal boundaries.

 

Example of Solution: Analysis 2023​​​​​​

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