Japanese technologies company SoftBank has now announced a new partnership with Vayyar Imaging that will center around creating growth in Japan’s IoT market. For those who may not already be aware, Vayyar is a prominent company specializing in 3D imaging and sensor technologies. So, it makes some sense that the two would enter an agreement to work in IoT. Although the financial details of the agreement were not revealed as part of the press release, the deal also moves SoftBank into position as Vayyar’s channel priority partner in Japan. That should serve both companies well, as SoftBank is a fairly well-known communications and Internet connections company headquartered out of the region.
As to what else is known about the partnership, the two companies are said to be combining SoftBank’s AI solutions and networking with Vayyar’s established sensory know-how – with the goal reportedly being to create movement in markets involving public transportation, construction, and care for the elderly. That, of course, means the companies will be focusing on the analysis of traffic flow in order to optimize transportation. On the construction side, the joint effort hopes to develop ways to provide monitoring of structural integrity in real time both throughout the building process and while that infrastructure is in use by the public. The above-mentioned analysis of traffic flow, as it pertains to groups of people, also ties directly into that infrastructure safety goal. From there, the companies hope to branch out and provide safety solutions for other publicly accessible areas. Finally, the agreement will see both companies collecting a large amount of data for analysis and research into further solutions that may be attainable through interconnected A.I. and sensors.
As might be expected from a new partnership which may not have settled on a more specific goal yet – or that simply doesn’t give too much away to potential rivals – the description of what the companies will be working on is not very telling. Aside from the broad goals listed here, the partnership could ultimately also end up bringing in other elements, as well. That’s with consideration for the fact that SoftBank’s connectivity division is, after all, a sister company to SoftBank’s robotics unit, which may benefit from further innovation in terms of sensors. However, it is probably too early to begin speculating about where the deal could lead outside of the parameters set by SoftBank and Vayyar Imaging. In the meantime, and although the terms and scope of the partnership could change in the future, this partnership seems to center predominantly around the Japanese market for now.