Toronto, Ontario — A few weeks after announcing that the technology had surpassed the five million vehicle milestone, Subaru has unveiled that a new generation of EyeSight is on the way, this time with a focus on improving AI performance in poor visibility settings.
This new iteration of the prolific ADAS technology is expected to be introduced in 2025, according to the director of the Subaru Lab Eiji Shibata. It has been in the works since 2020, when the lab was first established.
Shibata says that the Tokyo-based lab has been focused on using AI and machine learning to improve automotive safety systems at an accelerated pace, rather than trying to make cars that drive themselves, like what other OEMs are developing.
“Subaru’s approach is to reduce traffic accident fatalities to zero as soon as possible rather than focusing on autonomous driving,” Shibata said.
The lab’s deputy director, Toru Saito, told Automotive News that the dual cameras the EyeSight uses creates superior three-dimensional imagery to that of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) since both cameras are capable of triangulating on an object.
The current generation of EyeSight recently passed the milestone of being equipped on more than five million vehicles globally since the technology was first launched in Japan in 2008, and then internationally in 2012 as an option on the 2013 Subaru Legacy and Outback.
The tech has since seen the addition of a third camera that the OEM says has a wider viewing angle and more robust processing software aimed at addressing pedestrian and cyclist collisions.
In Japan, Subaru offers the exclusive EyeSight X system, which combines cameras with four radar receivers located in the front and rear bumpers, a high-definition digital map, and certain hands-free driving capabilities.
What is your take on the Subaru EyeSight system? Do you prefer a camera-based safety system, or do you take a liking to LiDAR? What is it like repairing a vehicle with EyeSight equipped? Let us know in the comments below.
