Japanese automotive antenna manufacturer Harada Industry is to design and produce a range of retro-fitted and embedded Sigfox-based IoT tracking solutions for the automotive industry. R&D teams from Harada Industry and Sigfox parent Unabiz will collaborate to develop a “film-type vehicle smart tracker”, initially, that can be attached to the windshield of automobiles. It will be the first Sigfox-based antenna solution for the automotive industry, said Unabiz.
The film tracker is to be transparent (not to obstruct the driver’s view) and placed at the top of the windshield to improve low-power wide-area (LPWA) Sigfox radio reception, said Unabiz. It will be followed by fully integrated Sigfox-based solutions that automotive manufacturers can embed directly during vehicle assembly. “The integrated solution will open a broad range of use cases for the industry,” said Unabiz.
In-vehicle platform company Micware, providing software for automotive control and car navigation, will work with Unabiz as well to develop the tracking and telemetry software platform. Micware is an existing partner of Harada Industry. Micware said the joint work will “revolutionise the future of vehicle tracking and telematics”. The trio of companies expect to launch tracking products in the second half of 2024.
A statement said the two companies will explore “various commercial strategies for the newly developed automotive products”. Harada Industry has offices in 13 cities in nine countries, including in China, Germany, and the US, supporting automotive customers in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Central America.
Keigo Harada, executive officer at the firm, said: “Sigfox [is a] powerful, yet simple and elegant LPWA network technology that is straightforward to integrate into our portfolio of vehicle products and antennas. We are committed to leading the way, driving technological innovations that provide the best products and services for our customers.”
Alexis Susset, chief technology officer at Unabiz, said: “Our automobile OEM customers in Europe and Japan are leveraging Sigfox for asset tracking, stolen vehicle recovery, and telematics. Harada’s antenna knowledge is unique and a key enabler for us to expand globally and deploy solutions tailored to the automotive sector. [This is] a key collaboration in an industry we look forward to supporting in its digital transformation.”
