Toyota tries to make its most advanced autonomous car look slightly normal
Toyota is bringing a sleek prototypical autonomous vehicle to this year's 2018 CES tech conference. But the car certainly won't be driving itself there.
Similar to many automotive showings at CES, this vehicle, which the Toyota Research Institute calls the "Platform 3.0," is not yet consumer-ready. But it does provide some insight into what some of the first completely self-driving vehicles might look like.
Although concealing the vehicle's many sensors and cameras is practically impossible, Toyota seems to have a done an impressive job integrating them into the car's body (it's unclear, of course, how well the systems work). Toyota's designers gave this careful design effort the rather urbane name of "intelligent minimalism."
This "intelligent minimalism" is perhaps best seen in the rooftop panel, which unlike Waymo's self-driving vehicles (which are now really shuttling humans around the Phoenix area -- but with a Waymo operator inside) doesn't look like an awkward, bolted on piece of equipment. It's integrated in a smooth, aerodynamic fashion, as are the sensors on the side of the car.
This modernistic design even expands to the trunk, wherein Toyota engineers packaged the sophisticated (and bulky) automated vehicle components into the rear compartment. This hexagonal box is covered with LED lights, and glows.
Included atop the car is a requisite component for self-driving vehicles: A LIDAR (lasers that shoot out and bounce back to detect objects) sensor provides a long-distance view of the vehicle's surroundings in all directions. Toyota claims their LIDAR system can see 200 meters (just over 650 feet) ahead in all directions.
Toyota says, in their press release, they will begin producing more Platform 3.0 prototypes "this spring" at their Prototype Development Center R&D headquarters in Michigan. As might be expected, there's no timetable for consumer testing of the vehicle on public roads, but Toyota wants us to know that progress is indeed being made in its R&D lab, noting that two different test models and "three major updates" have occurred in the last year. Because these are heavy pieces of high-speed machinery, it's good Toyota's taking their time.
One aspect that could likely expedite the production of these prototypes -- and eventually consumer vehicles -- is that the Platform 3.0 is built upon the foundation of the road-tested Lexus LS platform.
We’re certainly excited to check out the vehicle at the conference. For more complete coverage, you can follow us at CES 2018 right here.
Topics CES Self-Driving Cars
Mark was the science editor at Mashable. After working as a ranger with the National Park Service, he started a reporting career after seeing the extraordinary value in educating people about the happenings on Earth, and beyond.
He's descended 2,500 feet into the ocean depths in search of the sixgill shark, ventured into the halls of top R&D laboratories, and interviewed some of the most fascinating scientists in the world.
