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Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority seeks volunteers to test connected vehicle technology

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Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) is moving to the next stage in testing and implementing connected vehicle technology in Tampa with four auto manufacturers on board.

THEA is recruiting volunteer drivers who drive a Honda, Acura, Hyundai, Kia or Toyota for the THEA Connected Vehicle Pilot. This research project has the potential to improve driving safety in downtown Tampa and beyond. Eligible participating drivers receive up to a 30 percent rebate for tolls on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.

In this phase, THEA expects to equip approximately 300 privately owned automobiles with connected vehicle technology by late 2022. Volunteers’ automobiles will be outfitted with devices that “talk” to other connected vehicles and to roadway infrastructure to help prevent crashes. [Read more…] about Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority seeks volunteers to test connected vehicle technology

Toyota Research Institute reaches ‘new technical milestones in robotics’

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Toyota Research Institute (TRI) says it has reached “new technical milestones in robotics”. The company has unveiled new robotics capabilities aimed at solving complex tasks in home environments.

Specifically, TRI roboticists were able to train robots to understand and operate in complicated situations that confuse most other robots, including recognizing and responding to transparent and reflective surfaces in a variety of circumstances.

As TRI demonstrates in a new video (see below), this robust system allows robots to make generalizations in a range of scenarios, including in different homes. [Read more…] about Toyota Research Institute reaches ‘new technical milestones in robotics’

Toyota’s Woven Capital invests in autonomous vehicle fleet platform Ridecell

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Woven Capital, a venture capital unit of Toyota, has made an investment in Ridecell, a platform powering digital transformations and IoT automation for fleet-driven businesses.

Woven Capital is an $800 million global investment fund that supports innovative, growth-stage companies in mobility, automation, artificial intelligence, data and analytics, connectivity, and smart cities.

It is the investment arm of the Woven Planet Group, a Toyota subsidiary which says it is “dedicated to building the safest mobility in the world”. [Read more…] about Toyota’s Woven Capital invests in autonomous vehicle fleet platform Ridecell

Toyota ‘accelerating’ its autonomous vehicle plans with Lyft’s Level 5 acquisition

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Toyota is accelerating its autonomous vehicle plans through its acquisition of Lyft’s Level 5, according to research company GlobalData. 

Toyota Motor’s tech investment arm, Woven Planet Holdings, has agreed to acquire shared mobility giant Lyft’s self-driving vehicle division Level 5 for $550 million.

In response to the news, Bakar Sadik Agwan, senior automotive consulting analyst at GlobalData, offers her analysis. [Read more…] about Toyota ‘accelerating’ its autonomous vehicle plans with Lyft’s Level 5 acquisition

Toyota to acquire Lyft’s self-driving car division

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Lyft has signed an agreement with Woven Planet, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, for the acquisition of Lyft’s self-driving vehicle division, which is named “Level 5” in reference to the SAE’s definitions of levels of autonomous vehicles.

The transaction also includes multi-year non-exclusive commercial agreements between Lyft and Woven Planet to accelerate the development and enhance the safety of automated driving technology.

Logan Green, Lyft co-founder and CEO says: “Today’s announcement launches Lyft into the next phase of an incredible journey to bring our mission to life. [Read more…] about Toyota to acquire Lyft’s self-driving car division

Toyota launches new cars equipped with ‘Advanced Drive’

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Toyota has launched two new cars – the Lexus LS and Mirai – equipped with what it describes as “Advanced Drive”, which sounds somewhat similar to an advanced driver assistance system, or ADAS, a widely known term to mean a range of automated or autonomous driving functions.

Toyota says its Advanced Drive “enables drivers and cars to drive together”, and that the company is seeking to enrich people’s lives through mobility.

Advanced Drive has five technology characteristics: Intelligent, Reliable, Perceptive, Interactive, and Upgradeable. [Read more…] about Toyota launches new cars equipped with ‘Advanced Drive’

Toyota and Apex to accelerate development of computing platform for autonomous vehicles

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Apex.AI, an automotive software company, is partnering with Toyota’s Woven Planet Group to help the company create a production-ready autonomy stack for Arene, Toyota’s vehicle development platform to enable modern software development tools and best practices in the automotive industry. 

Toyota’s Woven Planet is using Apex.OS, an easy-to-use software development kit (SDK) for automotive and other safety-critical applications, including autonomous driving software.

Today’s vehicles are hardware-defined, and while they leverage existing advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), they have dozens of components that are not integrated with each other. [Read more…] about Toyota and Apex to accelerate development of computing platform for autonomous vehicles

Toyota-backed investment fund Woven Capital buys stake in Nuro

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Woven Capital, an $800 million global investment fund established by the Toyota Research Institute, has made an equity investment in Nuro, a robotics company developing autonomous delivery vehicles.

The investment is part of Nuro’s Series C round of funding, advancing its work in designing and engineering self-driving road vehicles to transform local commerce through autonomous delivery.

The exact amount of the investment has not been made public. [Read more…] about Toyota-backed investment fund Woven Capital buys stake in Nuro

ANA and Toyota test autonomous towing vehicle at Tokyo airport

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All Nippon Airways, Japan’s largest airline, is partnering with Toyota Industries to conduct a test of the latest autonomous towing tractor in the restricted area at Tokyo Haneda Airport from March 29 to April 2, 2021. These trials be the first to take place at Haneda Airport.

Masaki Yokai, senior vice president of ANA, says: “Our work with Toyota Industries has led to several successful autonomous towing tractor tests that we have continually learned from.

“We are excited about the opportunity to take this technology one step further by running trials at Haneda Airport. As we work with Toyota Industries to create the Simple & Smart airport of the future, ANA remains committed to integrating advanced technology in order to improve the travel experience.” [Read more…] about ANA and Toyota test autonomous towing vehicle at Tokyo airport

Autonomous vehicles from Udelv and May Mobility to be used in futuristic Indiana project

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Autonomous vehicles from Udelv and May Mobility have been chosen for application in a futuristic project overseen by the state of Indiana, in the US. 

The project also involves Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) and Energy Systems Network (ESN), which have jointly designated May Mobility and Udelv as the first two implementation of the “Future Mobility District” initiative.

The Future Mobility District initiative, established in collaboration with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), aims to foster innovation through industry partnerships and propel research and development in advanced mobility technologies in Indiana. [Read more…] about Autonomous vehicles from Udelv and May Mobility to be used in futuristic Indiana project