Toyota unveils cars with auto pilot

by **Cals** Sun 13 Oct 2013, 21:36

Published: Saturday October 12, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Saturday October 12, 2013 MYT 9:23:45 AM
Toyota unveils cars with auto pilot
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Safety tech: Toyota demonstrating the AHDA system in Tokyo. The two vehicles communicate with each other, keeping their lane and following the preceding vehicle to maintain a safety distance. – AFP
TOKYO: Toyota has unveiled the next generation of cars featuring an auto pilot system that will swerve to avoid collisions and also keep to the middle of the road, all without drivers touching the wheel.
The Japanese giant cars using the self-driving technology could be available on the market in just a few years’ time.
“These advanced driving support technologies prevent human errors, reduce driving stress and help drivers avert accidents, which has a big potential to reduce the number of traffic deaths,” Toyota managing director Moritaka Yoshida said at a presentation in Tokyo.
Leading carmakers and technology firms, including Toyota, rival Nissan and Internet giant Google, have been working on self-driving and assisted-driving technology for years.
Toyota, the world’s biggest carmaker, said that while drivers would still need to be alert and take part in the driving process, it essentially let them put the vehicle on auto pilot, leaving most of the work to the computer system.
The Automated Highway Driving Assist (AHDA) system lets vehicles communicate wirelessly to avoid running into each other while keeping the car in the middle of the road lane – no matter how many twists and turns lie ahead.
“Cars with these technologies recognise the accelerating or slowing speed of those ahead, which also helps avoid traffic jams,” said project manager Mitsuhisa Shida.
“They can wirelessly exchange data once every 0.1 second.”
The company plans to install AHDA in its commercial models over the next few years.
Toyota has already introduced the pre-collision braking assist system in its Lexus luxury sedan and plans to instal it in other models by 2015, with the other technologies to follow. – AFP