Swedish Tech Advances Automotive Sensing: Gapwaves and Tobii Make Strides

Swedish companies Gapwaves and Tobii are leading advances in automotive interior sensing and radar technologies, pushing the boundaries of vehicle sensing capabilities in key collaborations with global car and tech firms.

Gapwaves, headquartered in Gothenburg, announced that its innovative waveguide antenna technology is now integrated into the newly released Mercedes-Benz CLA, actively driving on Swedish roads. This antenna forms a critical part of Hella's 77 GHz radar sensors, which enhance the vehicle's advanced driver assistance systems. The collaboration between Gapwaves and Hella began in 2021, and since then, production has surged from 160,000 antennas in January to over 500,000 today, with production expected to keep climbing as demand grows.

Meanwhile, Tobii Autosense, part of the eyetracking company Tobii, has formed a joint effort with HTEC and D3 Embedded to develop an innovative solution combining single camera and radar technology for interior sensing. This technology is designed for implementation on the Texas Instruments automotive platform. Marking a technological milestone, this will be the first integration of such combined sensing technology on this platform. The solution is set to debut at the Incabin Europe exhibition in Barcelona from October 7 to 9.

These two developments underscore Sweden's prominent role in pioneering automotive sensor technologies that improve safety and user interaction inside modern vehicles. Gapwaves' scalable antenna production and Tobii's cross-technology integration with Texas Instruments reflect a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and international partnerships.

As both technologies enter critical implementation phases, their impact on automotive sensing and assistance systems is poised to grow, strengthening Sweden's high-tech automotive industry and advancing global vehicle sensing capabilities.