Former Sony Chairman Nobuyuki Idei is appointed as an advisor
-The development of the AI driver assistant Pyrenee


Ryuta Mino, CEO of Pyrenee Corporation, which is developing "Pyrenee Drive", an AI assistant for drivers aimed at reducing car accidents, has welcomed Mr. Nobuyuki Idei, former Chairman of Sony and Founder of Quantum Leap Corporation, as an advisor this spring. By bringing in Mr. Idei, who has extensive knowledge in the field of electronics, including product development and marketing, we will be able to spur preparations for the launch of Pyrenee Drive.

The most common cause of traffic accidents is human error, such as oversight and poor judgment. Pyrenee Drive" is a retrofit product that assists in the avoidance of accidents by constantly recognizing road conditions and predicting dangers with its on-board AI, and if it detects the possibility of an accident, it quickly warns the driver of the danger through voice and screen display. Even after purchase, the AI will continue to improve its performance through additional learning.

We aim to release this product by the end of this year.


■Comments by Mr. Nobuyuki Idei, Founder of Quantum Leap Corporation

We are pleased to join Pyrenee as an advisor.
Pyrenee Drive has been developed with the aim of achieving zero car accidents, simply by placing it on the dashboard of the car, it will detect the movement of pedestrians and cars and notify the driver.
While the speed of development of automated driving is remarkable, it will be a long time before the entire world's cars are replaced. Pyrenee Drive is a very unique product that has been designed to capitalize on this transitional period ahead of other companies. As an advisor and a car lover, I am looking forward to seeing this product on the market. I will continue to support Pyrenee to reduce the number of traffic accidents caused by driver negligence not only in Japan but also overseas.

〜 Profile of Mr. Nobuyuki Idei 〜
Born in Tokyo in 1937.
Joined Sony after graduating from Waseda University in 1960.
Engaged in overseas business, mainly in Europe.
After serving as the head of the Audio Business Division, Computer Business Division and Home Video Business Division, he was appointed President in 1995. Over the next ten years, he led Sony's transformation as head of management.
After stepping down, he established Quantum Leap Corporation in September 2006. He is the chairman of the board of directors of the NPO Asia Innovators Initiative, and the head of the social movement "Adventure Village". He is the head of the social movement "Adventure Village", and will assume his current position in April 2020.


■Comment by Ryuta Mino, CEO of Pyrenee Corporation

I never imagined that Mr. Idei, who I had admired as a "cool businessman" since I was in high school, would be joining my company as an advisor. It was truly a dream come true, and I wish I could have told myself that.
Mr. Idei was one of the driving forces behind Sony's phenomenal growth from a venture business to a global company, creating many appealing products that delighted people around the world during his time at Sony. Today, he continues to be actively involved in the development of various businesses in Japan and around the world. I am very excited to have Mr. Idei with his unparalleled sense of style and power join us at Pyrenee, and I am confident that he will help us to commercialize and popularize the Pyrenee Drive to a higher level.