Skip to main content

Pedestrian detection tech is big in Japan - and now coming to US

Sumitomo Pedestrian Detection sensor will be integrated into Iteris ClearMobility platform
By Adam Hill June 13, 2024 Read time: 2 mins
Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo: that's a lot of pedestrians (© Sean Pavone | Dreamstime.com)

The Sumitomo Pedestrian Detection sensor, widely used in Japan to make crossings safer for vulnerable road users, is coming to the US market.

Pedestrian fatalities in the US have increased since 2009; Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI)'s advanced pedestrian detection sensor, launched in 2017, will be integrated into Iteris ClearMobility platform to be used on US roadways.

Currently operating in five regions in Japan, SEI says the product, which uses advanced radar technology to accurately detect pedestrians, has been instrumental in reducing traffic incidents, particularly among vulnerable populations such as the elderly. 

“This technical and commercial collaboration with Iteris marks a significant milestone for us, as we are committed to enhancing safety standards not only within Japan, but internationally as well,” said Hitoshi Hirata, general manager of Systems & Electronics Division of Sumitomo Electric. 

“By leveraging Iteris’ extensive market expertise and distribution network, we are confident that integrating our advanced pedestrian detection sensor into the ClearMobility Platform will set a new benchmark for safety and reliability for both American pedestrians and drivers."

Joe Bergera, CEO of Iteris, says the collaboration "is a testament to our shared vision for a safer, smarter mobility future". 

The detection system will provide new pedestrian mobility data for ClearMobility, which is designed to monitor, visualise and optimise mobility infrastructure for public sector agencies and private companies. 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Why integrated traffic management needs a cohesive approach
    April 10, 2012
    Traffic control is increasingly being viewed as one essential element of a wider ‘system of systems’ – the smart city. Jason Barnes, Jon Masters and David Crawford report on latest ideas and efforts for making cities ‘smarter’ Virtually every element of the fabric and utilitarian operations that make urban areas tick can now be found somewhere in the mix that is the ‘smart city’ agenda. Ideas have expanded and projects pursued in different directions as the rhetoric on making cities ‘smarter’ has grown. App
  • Econolite keeps an open mind
    May 11, 2021
    If we’re going to take advantage of new technologies to improve safety, collaboration at the traffic management cabinet edge is vital, thinks Eric Raamot of Econolite
  • How can US transportation be ‘re-envisioned’?
    October 17, 2019
    In her address to this year’s ITS America Annual Meeting, congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, called for a ‘re-envisioning’ of transportation. Her speech is below – and ITS International asks a number of US experts what they would like to see ‘re-envisioned’…

    I would like to welcome  ITS America to the nation’s capital.

  • Major milestone for Iteris Vantage camera
    April 19, 2012
    Iteris has announced that it has delivered a milestone 100,000th Vantage vehicle detection camera to the traffic management industry and has been deployed by hundreds of agencies in North America, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. The Vantage sensor system can capture and analyse video images through sophisticated algorithms, providing traffic engineers accurate vehicle detection information. Iteris says the versatility of the product enables users to apply a wide range of detection applicat