TOKYO, Dec 19, 2025 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) is participating in demonstration testing of a vehicle-infrastructure integration system(1) for autonomous buses on a local bus line in Shimotsuke City, Tochigi Prefecture. This is part of an initiative to promote and expand unmanned autonomous transportation services in the Shimotsuke and Oyama area(2). The testing will take place on the Jichi Medical University Line for a period of around 2.5 months from 15th December. Testing will be conducted by the Kanto Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and coordinated by Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. MHI has received an order from Nippon Koei to oversee the installation and removal of the vehicle-infrastructure integration system and the collection of data. The demonstration testing of the vehicle-infrastructure integration system will be conducted in cooperation with the demonstration testing of autonomous buses implemented in collaboration with Tochigi Prefecture, Shimotsuke City, and the transportation operator Kanto Transportation, Inc., with support from MLIT.
This demonstration testing will verify whether the vehicle-infrastructure integration system can support the safe and smooth operation of autonomous buses by detecting and sending peripheral information when autonomous buses depart.
MHI's vehicle-infrastructure integration system combines camera images and AI image analysis to detect and track other vehicles and pedestrians on the road, convert this input into information such as position and direction and speed of travel, and send this to autonomous vehicles as object data. AI image analysis of images also enables identification of vehicles, including trucks, cars, and motorcycles. Comparatively low-priced monocular optical cameras are used as sensors with the aim of setting prices that allow the system to be introduced widely.
MHI already has experience with vehicle-infrastructure integration systems due to past work such as testing to improve safety by enabling autonomous buses to detect oncoming vehicles from side roads at intersections, which are blind spots for autonomous buses, and to detect vehicles approaching from the opposite direction when making a right turn.
MHI will continue to contribute to ensuring the availability of public transportation networks by maintaining bus lines facing manpower shortage through means such as promoting the development of vehicle-infrastructure integration systems and other operational support systems and actively rolling out solutions-based activities for the adoption of autonomous buses in society.
Overview of demonstration testing
- Period: December 15, 2025 - end of February 2026
- Line and section: Jichi Medical University Station stop to Jichi Medical University Hospital stop on the Jichi Medical University Line
- Nature of testing
1. When an autonomous bus departs from a bus stop set up at the rotary at JR Jichi Medical University Station, the vehicle-infrastructure integration system will detect a vehicle approaching from a holding area located diagonally behind and to the right (center of the rotary) and the necessary information, such as the position and speed, will be sent to the autonomous bus. This will address the issue of vehicles approaching diagonally from behind and to the right, a case where there is not much time for detection with an onboard sensor, assisting in safe departures from bus stops.
2. When a car is stopped at or near the bus stop at the JR Jichi Medical University Station rotary, the vehicle-infrastructure integration system will detect them and instruct the driver of the car to move, enabling smooth operation of the autonomous bus.
(1) The vehicle-infrastructure integration system for this demonstration testing is driving support technology developed for autonomous vehicles and connected cars. The system uses sensors on the ground to detect information on the road that cannot be directly seen, or cannot easily be seen, by the vehicle, and sends the data to the vehicle. This allows the vehicle to more accurately assess its surroundings, enabling safer and more efficient driving.
(2) In Tochigi Prefecture, efforts are underway to promote and expand unmanned autonomous transportation services through various demonstration experiments conducted in collaboration with Tochigi Prefecture, Shimotsuke City, Oyama City, and the transportation operator Kanto Transportation, Inc. This fiscal year, Shimotsuke City aims to achieve demonstration operations at Level 4 autonomy.
Illustration of support for autonomous buses by vehicle-infrastructure integration system
Illustration of prevention of cars from stopping at the bus stop by the vehicle-infrastructure integration system
About MHI Group
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com