Harnessing Untapped Paint Potential

Nippon Paint Industrial Coatings is at the forefront of pioneering "Target Line Paint," a revolutionary paint designed to enhance autonomous driving. By applying this specialized paint to road surfaces, autonomous vehicles equipped with sensors can easily recognize and follow these markings to navigate independently. This innovative solution is particularly effective in areas with poor GPS reception or under challenging environmental conditions.
Additionally, the simplicity of maintaining this painted infrastructure could significantly reduce the costs associated with implementing autonomous driving technology. Crucially, although sensors can detect the Target Line Paint, it is designed to visually resemble the color of the asphalt to the human eye. This ensures it does not interfere with traditional road markings, avoiding any potential confusion.

 

This innovative paint was developed by a team established in 2018, dedicated to spearheading a new business venture. We are excited to unveil the behind-the-scenes story of how our integrated team of marketing professionals and engineers investigated creative applications for paint.
Focused primarily on tackling societal challenges, they committed themselves to developing this product and bringing it successfully to market.

 

 

Driving Innovation:
A Boundless Approach to Addressing Societal Challenges

This development story began with the ambition to design a product that could effectively address societal challenges. Guided by this fundamental goal, the team embarked on an open-ended brainstorming session, exploring a diverse range of ideas without confining themselves to any particular sector.
Simultaneously, the team drew on internal expertise and anticipated future trends, aiming to align societal challenges with our technological strengths. As they investigated potential applications, autonomous driving emerged as a promising theme for development. Initially, our understanding of autonomous driving was limited, and it was uncertain if our paint could make a significant impact in this field. Nevertheless, amidst these uncertainties, we decided to initiate the project.
The initial phase involved acquiring a thorough knowledge of autonomous driving. The team educated themselves by studying books, participating in seminars, and seeking guidance from a university professor specializing in the field. As one team member noted, "Our ideas became more refined through discussions with numerous experts." In their quest for information, they also had the chance to observe the transformation of standard vehicles into autonomous ones firsthand. During these observations, they noted a critical insight: "the sensors used in autonomous driving functioned at roughly the same wavelengths.”
This observation sparked an idea: "If we could manipulate the wavelength at which these sensors operate, maybe we could engineer a paint that aids autonomous driving." Encouraged by this thought, they began to see the first signs of potential in developing a paint tailored to enhance autonomous driving technology.

As a paint company, we have developed technology capable of producing a vast spectrum of colors. Since color perception is influenced by reflected wavelengths, we speculated that our color-control technology could improve sensor functions in autonomous vehicles.
This idea began to evolve, and we increasingly recognized how our paints could help overcome the challenges faced by autonomous driving.

Building on these insights, we dedicated a year to refining the concept. At the same time, our technical team initiated research into how to transform this concept into a practical application involving paint.

 

From No Contacts to Pitching to 30 Companies in Six Months

Our marketing team engaged with various stakeholders in autonomous driving development, including universities, university ventures, and specialized companies, to introduce our concept of integrating paint technology into autonomous driving. Initially, gaining traction was challenging, which led us to approach nearly 30 companies over a period of six months.
"At first, our proposals were not well-targeted and lacked detail. Consequently, we often encountered non-committal feedback from potential clients, such as, “That’s interesting, but…," a team member reflects. About a year after launching our autonomous driving project, we successfully initiated a joint research project with Meiji University.
With the start of this partnership, our engineers began weekly brainstorming sessions with the professor and students, exploring the best ways to utilize our paint. Technically, we began by identifying key characteristics such as slip resistance and durability, since the paint was designed for road surfaces. "Confronted with the major challenge of a new market, it was an ongoing battle to develop a product while setting our own quality standards and specifications in the absence of predefined targets," an engineer shared.

 

Our Demonstration Test Marked a Turning Point

We enhanced our technology to develop a paint easily detectable by autonomous driving systems. Additionally, we navigated the required regulations and coordinated with the relevant authorities to obtain approval for using the paint on public roads. This set the stage for our initial demonstration test in Tsushima City in 2021.
In preparation for the demonstration day, we made multiple trips to Tsushima City to apply the paint and make various adjustments.
On the demonstration day, around 100 people gathered, excited to take a ride in an autonomous vehicle. The crowd included those who had traveled from distant places, drawn by their children's eagerness to see the autonomous vehicles. The team felt a deep sense of satisfaction seeing the broad interest their technology had generated.
A unique aspect of the Target Line Paint is its low visibility to the human eye while remaining detectable by sensors. A survey conducted after the demonstration revealed that 60% of participants found the line hard to see, and 40% did not notice it at all. These findings reinforced the team's belief in the significant potential of their product.

Approximately a month after publicizing our demonstration, we started receiving a surge of inquiries from interested parties, including municipalities and bus companies looking into adopting autonomous buses. We are currently conducting collaborative demonstration tests with organizations in nine prefectures (as of April 2024).

 

Two Veteran Engineers: The Catalysts of Innovation

Our technical team was anchored by two veteran engineers: one with expertise in paint technology and the other, a visionary specializing in new business ventures. Their invaluable guidance played a crucial role in steering the Target Line Paint project towards practical application, within a team primarily composed of young engineers.

"I have over 28 years of experience in the paint industry. The Target Line Paint project was groundbreaking because it introduced a technology previously nonexistent in the market, setting it apart from any prior products. This uniqueness was also the most challenging aspect, as we are still refining it through trial and error. It’s a testament to the technical team’s dedication and resilience. As the use of Target Line Paint grows, I envision our paint playing a key role in creating a safer and more reliable transportation system."

"I’ve been involved in development projects related to new business ventures for 29 years since I joined the company. Developing new business technologies from scratch can be time-consuming and expensive. Typically, we analyze the industry we’re entering and figure out how to apply our proprietary technologies. This time, in collaboration with the marketing team, we crafted the concept for the Target Line Paint. The process was demanding, but it was also fascinating and fulfilling."

Enhancing Autonomous Driving Safety with Target Line Paint

The project began amidst uncertainty about how paint could contribute to autonomous driving. However, fueled by our team's passionate desire to solve societal issues through innovative paint technology, we have discovered significant potential. We are now advancing the product toward practical application in the near future.
" Our vision is "to make Target Line Paint a standard for autonomous driving routes, enhancing safety and security." The team is highly motivated, confident in the technology's ability to significantly improve autonomous driving, particularly in areas where GPS signals are weak or obstructed, like mountainous terrains or densely built urban areas.
Capitalizing on the inherent versatility of paint, which can be applied in a variety of settings, we are set to challenge traditional uses and explore new possibilities. Our paint is not limited to road surfaces; it can also be applied to tunnel walls, ceilings, guardrails, and other necessary surfaces, opening up new opportunities for its application.

 

For additional information on the technical specifications of Target Line Paint, please visit the link below:

Target Line Paint: A Pathway to Autonomous Driving