Sonatus, a vehicle software company accelerating the transition to software-defined vehicles (SDVs), has collaborated with Smart Eye, a specialist in driver monitoring system and interior sensing solutions.
Unlike conventional vehicles, SDVs improve over time and add new capabilities like other digital devices. This collaboration pairs the SDV infrastructure capabilities from Sonatus, especially Sonatus Automator AI, with the driver and occupant monitoring capabilities from Smart Eye to enable OEMs to offer drivers personalization and safety features.
Sonatus Automator AI is an in-vehicle software orchestration tool that allows OEMs to instantly create and deploy no-code automation routines – based on “if-this-then-that” logic – from the cloud to vehicles. This capability enables OEMs to quickly add new features, automate functional testing, and intelligently trigger diagnostics scans at any point during a vehicle’s lifecycle.
These automation routines consist of trigger conditions followed by one or a series of actions, forming a workflow that automates different in-vehicle tasks. For example, it can notify a driver of a hazard, adjust vehicle settings, or activate context-dependent features like Teen Driving Mode.
The safety module for Sonatus Automator AI, Automator Safety Interlock, recently achieved ISO 26262 ASIL-D certification allowing it to be utilized in more safety-critical applications, including when the vehicle is being driven.
In turn, Smart Eye’s Cabin Monitoring System not only detects vehicle occupancy and driver awareness but also provides a deep understanding of passenger behavior and contextual events, delivering a rich array of data points that fuel real-time vehicle intelligence.
Combined, these capabilities create a toolkit that supports seamless integration of new offerings without requiring extensive programming or validation cycles.
“Smart Eye is an ideal partner: their industry-leading capabilities for cabin monitoring can provide OEM engineers a wide array of detected events that, along with Automator AI, can create innovative new offerings with our combined technologies,” says Dr. John Heinlein, chief marketing officer, Sonatus. “We recently announced that Sonatus Automator AI’s functional safety module, Automator Safety Interlock, is certified by UL Solutions to ISO26262, achieving ASIL-D capability, which unlocks the opportunity to employ Automator AI in more situations to create new valuable offerings for OEMs and their customers.”
At the Consumer Electronics Show 2025 (CES 2025), Sonatus will be showcasing its new demonstration vehicle, a classic 1970 Ford Bronco, restored and converted to an Electric Vehicle and outfitted with Sonatus’ SDV technology.
This demo vehicle will feature real-time personalization using Sonatus Automator, where attendees can see how driver preferences and road conditions dynamically shape the driving experience. One of these demonstrations will use Smart Eye’s Cabin Monitoring System to detect a passenger and trigger driving mode actions, showcasing how combined technologies enable OEMs to rapidly deploy safety-critical features and personalized experiences.
“At Smart Eye, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in vehicle safety and personalization. By combining our advanced Cabin Monitoring System with Sonatus’ cutting-edge SDV infrastructure, we’re enabling OEMs to deliver an entirely new level of intelligent, adaptive, and secure mobility experiences,” says Martin Kranz, CEO, Smart Eye. “This collaboration represents a significant step toward a future where vehicles intuitively understand and respond to the needs of their occupants.”
Photo: AdobeStock
