Ayax / Toyota

Acoustic Safety That Grows Plants

An AVAS for hybrid and electric vehicles that meets new safety regulations while emitting sound frequencies proven to promote plant growth, developed with Ayax SA and Toyota.

New European regulations require all hybrid and electric vehicles to emit an artificial sound alert for pedestrian safety. Ayax SA — Toyota and Suzuki's official representative in Uruguay — and Toyota's engineering team saw an opportunity to go beyond a simple compliance noise: research showed that specific sound frequencies could stimulate plant growth and nutrient absorption. That raised the question driving the project — could a mandatory safety sound also do good for the environment?

Ayax and Toyota needed an AVAS that satisfied strict safety regulation while turning a compliance requirement into an ecological benefit.

Embedded Systems

Sound Synthesis

CAN Bus Integration

Automotive Compliance

Linux Embedded

Hardware Prototyping

What We Built

Focus worked with sound synthesis experts and Toyota's engineering team to build the HY device as a plugin that adds this AVAS to any electric or hybrid vehicle.

The project moved through research and concept validation, hardware and software design, prototyping, and rigorous compliance testing.

The resulting device runs on an embedded Linux distribution and reads real-time data from the vehicle's CAN bus, dynamically synthesizing sound based on speed and operating conditions — meeting automotive standards while emitting frequencies shown to benefit plant growth.

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Impact

The HY Project turned a regulatory obligation into a recognized, dual-benefit safety and environmental innovation for Ayax and Toyota.

Award-Winning Recognition

The HY Project won Silver and Bronze Lions in the Radio & Audio category at the 2021 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, establishing a new benchmark for what an AVAS system can achieve.

Dynamic, Real-Time Sound Synthesis

The embedded device reads live CAN bus data and adjusts sound output in real time based on vehicle speed and conditions, ensuring consistent pedestrian safety alerts under real driving scenarios.

Environmental Impact Beyond Compliance

By emitting frequencies that promote plant growth and nutrient absorption, the system supports natural CO2 absorption — reinforcing the low-emissions profile of hybrid vehicles and strengthening Ayax's sustainability leadership.

A regulatory requirement became an opportunity — the HY Project shows how engineering can serve safety and sustainability at once.