{"id":568564,"date":"2023-11-21T15:00:56","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T20:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.therobotreport.com\/?p=568564"},"modified":"2023-11-21T15:00:56","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T20:00:56","slug":"toyota-research-institute-emphasizes-safety-of-ai-assisted-driving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therobotreport.com\/toyota-research-institute-emphasizes-safety-of-ai-assisted-driving\/","title":{"rendered":"Toyota Research Institute emphasizes safety of AI-assisted driving"},"content":{"rendered":"

The safety of autonomous vehicles has been called into question after incidents such as an accident last month involving Cruise led to a pause in operations, layoffs, and the resignation<\/a> of the company’s CEO. However, development continues, and the Toyota Research Institute recently provided reporters a glimpse into its Accelerated Concepts program in “active safety.”<\/p>\n

Toyota Research Institute (TRI<\/a>) showed how its focus on advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) rather than directly to fully self-driving cars is intended to prioritize safety. It hosted reporters at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, Calif., allowing them to ride inside its research vehicles and simulators.<\/p>\n

Human drivers are the cause of 94% of accidents, according to<\/a> a 2018 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey. TRI studied verbal and non-verbal feedback as human instructors trained its artificial intelligence. <\/p>\n

\u201cCan we save more lives by bringing automated vehicle technology to more people in more places and sooner?\u201d asked Avinash Balachandran<\/a>, director of TRI\u2019s Human Interactive Driving Division (HID<\/a>). \u201cWe think the answer is yes \u2013 by rethinking the way people and embodied technologies interact to create new experiences and value for our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toyota Research Institute keeps humans in the loop<\/h2>\n

Toyota Research Institute said its HID team is researching how to incorporate high levels of autonomy alongside high driver engagement rather than robotaxis. “This approach makes driving both safer and more fun \u2013 keeping the driver engaged and working with the car as a truly intelligent partner,” it asserted in a release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The institute demonstrated systems developed under the HID team’s three “research pillars:”<\/p>\n

Human-focused learning:<\/strong> This includes data-driven machine learning techniques to create models of human behavior, said TRI. “From driver awareness to action and intent, these models ensure that the technology will understand drivers and support them in the most natural way possible,” it said.<\/p>\n

TRI also provided audio and haptic cues to aid in human-machine interaction.<\/p>\n

Driver and vehicle performance and safety:<\/strong> The HID team said it is seeking to build “expert-level driving skills” with artificial intelligence to satisfy these requirements.<\/p>\n

At TRI’s event, members of the media witnessed an autonomous self-drifting Toyota Supra test its handling limits. A fully autonomous Lexus LC500 demonstrated its ability to avoid obstacles while charging down the track at high speeds.<\/p>\n

“Teaching these expert driving skills to AI helps lay the foundation for autonomous technology to help drivers avoid accidents by navigating sudden obstacles or hazardous road conditions like black ice,” added Toyota.<\/p>\n