Investment plan: Toyota getting in gear with smart cars
Employees of Toyota Motors check the FCV "Mirai" on its final assembly line during the vehicle's line off ceremony at the Motomachi factory in Toyota city, Aichi prefecture on February 24, 2015. PHOTO: AFP
Toyota announced plans to invest $50 million into building artificial intelligence into cars, an indication it could be joining the race to develop driverless vehicles.
The joint research with Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will take place over the next five years, Toyota Motor Corporation said, emphasising its interest in technology that could be used by people as they grow old or become less able to drive safely.
“We will initially focus on the acceleration of intelligent vehicle technology, with the immediate goal of helping eliminate traffic casualties and the ultimate goal of helping improve quality of life through enhanced mobility and robotics,” Toyota’s research and development chief Kiyotaka Ise said in a statement.
Lab efforts will be directed by former US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency programme manager Gill Pratt, who headed a recent contest for robots that could be used to help emergency workers in disaster situations.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2015.