Sporty Lexus Helps Toyota Test Self-Driving Tech
Second-Gen Autonomous Safety Technology Research Car Revealed
Toyota’s Research Institute (TRI) has once again turned to Lexus for a suitable car that will allow the group to test its latest technology in the quickly-approaching world of self-driving cars. The team recently revealed its second-gen autonomous safety technology research vehicle, which is based on Lexus’ most luxurious sedan: the LS 600h L.
As TechCrunch reports, the new autonomous Lexus LS 600h L features a platform that was built from the ground up by TRI. It also has all of the latest tech to help the research group explore future safety features, which includes self-driving capabilities. To get around town without any human interaction, the high-tech sedan is fitted with layered LiDAR and a drive-by-wire interface. The system, as the outlet reports, is modular, giving the group the ability to improve the system with minimal difficulty when new components become available.
The new suite of technology will help TRI explore its “Chauffeur,” a Level 5 system, and “Guardian,” a Level 4 system, software. For a quick reminder, Level 4 self-driving vehicles can drive independently for the most part and only need marginal inputs in certain situations, like bad weather. Level 5-branded cars are the real deal and need absolutely no help from a human driver.
Toyota debuted the new vehicle at the Prius Challenge event in Sonoma, California, last week. The location, as TechCrunch points out, is a Silicon Valley forum where TRI can get in contact with individuals in the robotics industry, entrepreneurs and more.
The first car that Toyota used to test self-driving technology came out in 2013 at the Consumer Electronics Show. And just like the new model, the old one was based off of the LS family, too.
After approximately four years of testing, one would assume that TRI has enough data to put the technology onto the road. But TRI’s lead engineer, Gill Pratt, told TechCrunch that the group’s Guardian system is likely to come out in the near future, while going fully autonomous with a system like Chauffeur is still some time away.
