Artificial Intelligence at Toyota

Posted on October 27, 2023

Artificial Intelligence at Toyota

Research on Artificial Intelligence

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) at Toyota reflects the company's ongoing commitment to innovation and transforming the automotive industry through significant technological advancements. Over the years, Toyota has recognized the potential of AI to enhance safety, autonomous driving, the driver's experience, and even environmental sustainability.

Immersion in Virtual Reality

One of the research topics related to AI at Toyota is immersing drivers in virtual reality. Through the partnership between Stanford University and SAIL-Toyota (Center for AI Research), this project was established to investigate the integrated assistance system in vehicles. Using artificial intelligence technology, those involved in the project aim to determine if AI can advance the vehicle towards a specific destination, even in situations where the driver may not necessarily know how to react.

With these innovative systems, the person behind the wheel can fully enjoy the driving experience while benefiting from a secure AI system. Toyota is investing in autonomous driving by using AI for perception, decision-making, and vehicle control. The goal is to create vehicles capable of safely responding to their environment and enabling autonomous driving in less favorable conditions.

Interactions Between Robots and Objects

Another example of AI research is the project involving articulated objects. Once again, this project was initiated through a collaboration involving researchers from Stanford University and SAIL-Toyota. A robot can perform various tasks when commanded accordingly. For instance, it can be asked to clean, retrieve objects from a cabinet, make coffee, or handle putting clothes in the washing machine. However, when these tasks involve objects with articulations, it can pose a real challenge for the robot. This is why Toyota decided to get involved in this research project.

When a robot encounters such objects, like a cabinet, it must analyze how to open the cabinet to avoid damaging itself or the cabinet in question. It must realize that there is a handle on the cabinet door that is used for opening it, and then it must adjust its movement based on the cabinet door's movement when opening it to avoid causing any damage. To be able to perform this movement, the robot must use visual data, allowing it to estimate the type of articulation connecting the cabinet door to the frame and the angle at which the door will open when it carries out the maneuver.

The Great Potential of Artificial Intelligence

In practical terms, Toyota uses AI to develop advanced safety systems such as pedestrian detection, emergency braking assistance, and blind-spot detection. These features are designed to reduce accidents and enhance the safety of drivers and passengers.

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