At CES on Wednesday, Toyota revealed Concept-i, an AI-assisted concept vehicle that uses machine learning to “build a relationship that is meaningful and human.” Among other things, this apparently means the ability to wink demurely at its driver.
Japan’s birth rate has been on decline for some time now, so engineers at Toyota have come up with an ingenious solution to help people apparently feel the companionship of kids: an annoying robot.
In March, the Toyota Research Institute bought up Cambridge-based startup Jaybridge Robotics, and according to Tech Insider, they may be expanding with another famous Massachusetts company: Google’s Boston Dynamics, the maker of the Big Dog and Atlas robots.
Self-driving cars, as popularized by the likes of Google and Tesla, are meant to be transportation bubbles that operate free of any human interference. But full autonomy isn’t the only option, and Toyota is investing in a system that would use computers as an aid to human drivers, not a replacement.
The boundaries between technology and automotive sectors continue to blur, and now Toyota and Microsoft have announced that they’ll be working together to imbue cars with artificial intelligence that will, they promise, humanize the driving experience.
Cars are either going to poison us with secret emissions or just drive themselves, so it’s no surprise that car manufacturers are looking to branch out. In Toyota’s case, that takes the form of a $1 billion investment in a Silicon Valley AI research center.
How can we make smart robots as popular and widely used as smartphones? Ploppin’ ‘em in your pocket is a good place to start—or your cupholder, in this case. At the Tokyo Motor Show this week, a miniature version of the first talking robot in space was revealed. It can hitch a ride in your car with you, keeping you…
For most of Cape York, the remote peninsula north of Cairns that runs parallel to the Great Barrier Reef, the nearest major city isn’t even in Australia, it’s in Papua New Guinea. You know, where head-hunting was a thing up until a couple of decades ago. We just drove through it on the most challenging off-road trail…
An accident can happen in a split second when you’re driving, but studies have shown that half the time the human body is still able to quickly take defensive action before the impact. So Toyota has upgraded its crash test simulation software with improved virtual muscles to take this into account.
Australia is filled with poisonous shit that’s constantly trying to kill you. But it’s also filled with the world’s best four-wheel drive vehicles. Yeah, basically everything the little off-road enthusiast inside of you has ever wanted is here. And I just moved here in order to drive it.
It’s a really good question: Why can’t airline seats be as comfortable, durable and adjustable as the ones in cars? In a partnership with All Nippon Airways, Toyota has come up with a new seat design it claims can make a “wide range of body sizes” comfortable. In economy, no less.
Check out this five speed manual transmission 3D printed after a Toyota model—the W56 transmission. Watching how the cogwheels spin and react every time the guy changes gears is just amazing.
In an effort to help spread the adoption and further the development of the hydrogen fuel cell technology the company developed for its FCV concept vehicle—now known as the Mirai—Toyota has announced that it's making approximately 5,680 fuel cell patents available for royalty-free use.
From TruckYeah! The 2015 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro is that washed up, loose-cannon-cop-on-the-edge pulled out of retirement for "one last job." Giving an old hero a shiny badge and a new gun always works on TV, but this truck isn't quite up to fighting its rivals anymore, on-road or off.
Driving a truck off-road is the second most fun thing you'll ever do. After riding a motorcycle off-road, of course. Here's how you can start doing it, even if you don't currently drive the world's most capable vehicle.
They've been proven to be far more energy-efficient than their gas-powered equivalents, but limited range, long charging times, and high costs have prevented electric vehicles from really catching on. Researchers in Japan, though, may have come up with a breakthrough to overcome some of those obstacles by powering an…
Small, weird-looking smartcars are nothing new; there are plenty of them on the road, especially in cities where space is at a premium. But Toyota has launched something that makes great use of its zippy 3-wheeled i-Road vehicles: a new car-sharing service that integrates with a city's existing transit system.
Toyota realizes that few customers shopping for a minivan care about horsepower or zero to sixty times—they're basically looking for the easiest way to haul kids. So on its 2015 Sienna, the automaker is introducing a rather clever new feature called Driver Easy Speak which amplifies the driver's voice with a dedicated…
Electric-only cars might be envogue right now, but Toyota is pursuing another eco-friendly alternative to gasoline engines with its FCV concept. The company is now claiming the vehicle will be available sometime in 2015—at least if you live in California where (hopefully) hydrogen refill stations will be plentiful by…
