Toyota Prius to Get Solar Panels
by Ryan Block, posted Jul 7th 2008 at 9:47AM
Posts with tag toyota
Toyota's Night Vision Dashboard Can ID Pedestrians
Night view isn't exactly a new technology, but Toyota's latest implementation of it in its Crown Hybrid luxury sedan is a bit different than most. Unlike the company's previous effort, which displayed images straight on the windshield, this one makes use of an LCD in the dashboard, which also does double duty by displaying the speedometer and all the vehicle's other vitals.
What's more, the system also takes things to Terminator-like levels with a pedestrian recognition system, although that apparently only works at speeds below 60 kilometers per hour (the company says it's also working on a means of recognizing bicycles and animals). No word on exactly what sort of premium all that will demand, but Toyota admits it'll be "several times more expensive than the existing meters." [Source: Tech On!]
What's more, the system also takes things to Terminator-like levels with a pedestrian recognition system, although that apparently only works at speeds below 60 kilometers per hour (the company says it's also working on a means of recognizing bicycles and animals). No word on exactly what sort of premium all that will demand, but Toyota admits it'll be "several times more expensive than the existing meters." [Source: Tech On!]
Toyota's New Eyelid-Monitoring System Wakes Up Sleepy Drivers
Are you the type who doesn't know when it's time to quit? The kind who will keep driving for 20-odd hours straight stopping only to fill up the car's tank and ... well ... empty yours? If so, you're a danger to yourself and those around you. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 100,000 reported crashes a year are due to drowsiness, resulting in 1,550 deaths. Luckily, some help is on the way from Toyota, which is coming up with a new, more advanced way to prevent driver sleep with a system that will act like an alarm clock if you close your eyes.
Toyota already has a so-called "Driver Monitoring System" in its latest Lexus LS models. The system uses a camera on the steering column to detect if you are paying attention. If it detects that you're not paying attention, the current system will emit an alarm and even hit the brakes automatically when proximity sensors in the car think an impact is likely.
This latest enhancement will take that system a step further by actually detecting whether or not your eyes are open. If those eyelids start to get droopy, an alarm will sound, and, again, the system will jump in and attempt to decelerate the car automatically. Toyota expects to be installing this in cars in the next couple of years.
Now if only the system would automatically dispense Red Bull (or your energy drink of choice), or maybe just take over the driving entirely and let you curl up in the back seat. That, at least, is still a several years down the road.
From Crave
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Toyota and Nintendo Team Up for "Elderly-Friendly" Car
The older people get, the harder it is to drive -- reflexes slow, eyesight goes, and one's level of awareness drops as the years pass. These unfortunate realities of aging can make driving a potentially lethal proposition for those getting on in years (not to mention the drivers around them).
Governments, however, are not about to start confiscating drivers licenses when people are old enough to collect social security, so the challenge becomes how to minimize the danger involved with putting those in their golden years on the road.
Toyota is teaming up with Professor Ryuta Kawashima, who worked for Nintendo to develop the DS hit 'Brain Training,' which uses simple and fun puzzles to sharpen the mind and tell you how old your brain is. Toyota and Dr. Kawashima are working on a system that will monitor the moves of aging drivers and help them avoid dangerous behaviors. The ideas currently on the drawing board are an automatic braking system that can curb unnecessary accelerating, a navigation system (duh) and climate controls that will help keep the driver alert and comfortable.
"Ultimately, we hope to develop cars that stimulate brain activity so that driving itself becomes a form of brain training," Dr. Kawashima says. Toyota and the professor hope to have a basic form of the system ready for deployment within five years. Toyota's system isn't the only game in town, though, that is looking to save some lives by keeping drivers alert, Nissan has been working on its Intelligent Transportation System for some time now.
Nintendo has cornered the market on electronics marketed to the elderly at this point. 'Brain Training' and the 'Brain Age' series on the handheld DS and 'Wii Sports' and 'Wii Fitness' have also proven to be huge hits with older consumers looking to dull the effects of aging.
From Daily Mail
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Toyota's New i-Real Is a Segway With a Seat
Toyota is already dominating the world's automotive scene in terms of sales, as well as leading the green vehicle scene thanks to its still rather trendy hybrid Prius. But the Japanese auto maker must be getting bored. Since nobody can seem to compete with it on the vehicular front, the company is moving into new markets: high-end, designer wheelchair sales with its new i-Real three-wheeled chair. Actually, "wheelchair" is about fitting a term here as "scooter" is when describing the Segway, though Toyota is aiming the device at a variety of seated users who want to move around. The thing sports a relatively upright seating position that reclines as speeds increase, up to a maximum of a brisk 30 km/h, just short of 20 mph. Not quite enough to get you a speeding ticket, but faster than the Segway's top speed of 12.5 mph.
Controls are two joysticks mounted at the end of the arm rests, making the thing, supposedly, quite easy to maneuver (despite the rather concerned look on the model in the picture to the side).
No word on whether Toyota actually plans to produce the thing or, if they do, how much it'll cost.
Sure, it might look like a prop off the 'Star Trek' set, but we'd rock it on a trip down to the corner store ... assuming we could figure out a way to put some groceries in the thing.
From Autoblog
Gallery: Toyota's i-Real Concept
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Toyota Ad Spoofs Video Game, Viral Video
Funny. But, it gets even better. For anyone who spends a lot of time trawling blogs and YouTube in search of entertainment, this little scenario might sound very familiar. The commercial is, in fact, a faithful send-up to a viral video known as 'Leeroy Jenkins' (watch the video here). In the Leeroy Jenkins video -- as in the ad -- a bunch of player avatars are standing around discussing their plan of attack for an upcoming battle. Suddenly, a player who hasn't listened to a word of the discussion yells, "Alright chums, let's do this! LEEEROOOOOOYYY JEEEENNNNKIINNSS!!" and jumps into battle. As in the Tacoma ad, the other players give chase, only this time they're whining about what an idiot Leeroy Jenkins is. Even Leeroy's "Let's do this!" battle cry makes it into the ad.
The 'Star Wars' kid never had it this good ...
From Boing Boing
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Why You Should Buy a Hybrid Car Now
Here's how it works: The hybrid tax credits begin a phase out process after a manufacturer sells 60,000 vehicles. The credits drop 50 percent after the 60,000 milestone is met. Six months later, the credits drop to 25 percent of the original figure, and, after six more months, they expire for good. Credits on Lexus and Toyota hybrids are set to expire on September 30th. Next on the credit chopping block is Honda, as it is widely expected to pass the 60k threshold this month.
If you can't run out and buy a Prius right now, but still want a green vehicle and a healthy tax break, you can still choose from other alternatives, but you'll need to dig a little deeper. Fuel cell, natural gas, and methanol powered vehicles all come with impressive tax credits, but vehicles that qualify for these are very hard to come by. Hybrid and alternative fuel credits are set to expire for good in 2010, and fuel cell credits will only last until 2014 unless Congress decides to extend them.
From Consumerist
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