Macnica Begins Demonstration Test of AI-Equipped Driver Monitoring System on Chikuma Bus's New EV Buses - Improving Safety and Promoting Decarbonization in Regional Public Transportation -

Macnica (headquarters: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Kazumasa Kazumasa Hara; hereinafter referred to as Macnica) announced today that it will begin demonstration testing of its AI-equipped driver monitoring system, Macnica on an electric bus newly introduced by Chikuma Bus Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Saku, Nagano Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Kimihide Takano; hereinafter referred to as Chikuma Bus), with support from Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture (Mayor: Yoichi Tsuchiya) and others.
This initiative aims to improve safety and promote decarbonization in regional public transportation by utilizing the advanced AI technology of Smart Eye, a Swedish driver monitoring technology company, and providing "Smart Eye AIS," which detects the driver's condition with high accuracy while driving.

■ Social issues and background of this demonstration experiment
In recent years, Japan's bus industry has been facing a major challenge: maintaining and improving safe operation with a limited number of personnel amid a driver shortage and an aging workforce. Route buses, in particular, often involve long driving hours or solo driving, making it difficult for drivers to notice declines in their physical condition or concentration. For this reason, there is growing expectation for a system that can objectively grasp the driver's condition while driving and help prevent human error.
Ueda City has few opportunities to promote and improve the safety of local public transportation, and Chikuma Bus has faced challenges such as ensuring driver safety during long drives. In response, the company has been considering introducing a safety support system that utilizes AI technology, with the aim of not only improving environmental performance but also providing safer and more secure public transportation services.

Features of "Smart Eye AIS" and Macnica 's efforts
Smart Eye AIS" is a driver monitoring camera system equipped with an AI analysis system that uses AI to analyze the driver's facial orientation, gaze, and blinking status to accurately detect risk behaviors such as falling asleep, looking aside, and distracted driving. The "Smart Eye AIS" installed inside the car continuously monitors the driver's condition, and supports safe driving while minimizing the impact on driving operation.
Macnica MOBOTIX has been providing AI-based driver monitoring technologies for the public transportation and commercial vehicle fields. Smart Eye AIS" has been highly evaluated as a solution suitable for applications that strongly require safety due to its high detection accuracy and reliability in the actual vehicle environment. By providing and implementing these cutting-edge solutions to solve social issues, we aim to improve the safety of commercial vehicles, logistics, and public transportation, and to build an ecosystem centered on "Smart Eye AIS".

<" Smart Eye AIS" product video>

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■Outline of the demonstration experiment
In this demonstration experiment, the effectiveness of the "Smart Eye AIS" installed inside the EV bus will be verified in the following areas in everyday driving environments.

• Detecting driver drowsiness, distraction, and inattentiveness
• Real-time alert notification when danger signs occur

This will help prevent accident risks and build an efficient safety education system based on data.

Through this demonstration experiment, Macnica will verify the potential for safety support using AI technology and contribute to improving the safety of regional public transportation.

(reference)
[EV bus departure ceremony and start of operation]
A ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of Ueda City will be held on March 6, 2026, at the Disaster Agreement Signing Ceremony and Electric Bus Departure Ceremony, during which the first large-scale EV bus will be launched in the Toshinano region of Nagano Prefecture. This departure ceremony will be an opportunity to widely introduce to the public the next-generation public transportation initiative that combines environmentally friendly EV buses with AI safety technology. The EV bus equipped with this product is scheduled to begin operation on March 9, 2026.

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URL: https://www.macnica.co.jp/business/semiconductor/articles/smarteye/146795/

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Macnica Smart Eye Product Manager
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E-mail: alt.smarteye.support@macnica.co.jp

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