The automaker also showed off a Lexus research vehicle which
is equipped with devices that allow it to detect and automatically respond to
its surroundings. The car can drive, on its own, through a fairly complex
environment, without a person touching the steering wheel or pedals. The car is equipped with, among other things,
a laser system that allows the car to see objects all around it up to a
distance of about 230 feet, plus radar on the front and sides and
high-definition color cameras that can see traffic lights and vehicles
approaching from the sides. Toyota's
research also involves vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure
communication, the automaker said in an announcement. Those technologies allow cars to wirelessly
communicate with one another and with things like traffic lights and stop
signs. For example, a car could signal vehicles around it when it stops or
turns or when it encounters a slippery road surface. Similarly, a traffic light
could wirelessly signal that it is turning red so approaching cars can
automatically apply their brakes.
Toyota said the vehicle is aimed at "the development of
systems capable of enhancing the driver's perception of his or her environment,
assisting in the decision-making process and improving overall driving skills.
Famously Web search giant Google has
been researching self-driving cars. Google's research car is based on a Toyota
Prius, but Google and Toyota have not been involved in each other's research
projects, according to a source at Toyota.
