Toyota presents first self-developed self-driving car

Toyota has shown the first self-driving car that it has developed from scratch. The company did this on the basis of a Lexus LS 600hL. Technologies such as lidar and radar are on board, but the car also uses camera images.

It is not the first time that Toyota has presented technology for self-driving cars, but it is the first time that a vehicle has been developed entirely within the company. To determine the environment, the converted Lexus LS 600hL has all kinds of sensors on board, which work with radar and lidar, among other things. Camera images are also used to keep the car on the road. Toyota also uses machine learning, which is used to learn from car journeys, in order to better anticipate the conditions on the road.

There are two systems developed by Toyota, which are named Chauffeur and Guardian. The former is intended as a system to allow cars to drive independently, while Guardian is a kind of assistant that constantly monitors the conditions on the road, and can warn or intervene in the event of danger. The intention is that both systems will be further improved in the future to eventually be used in consumer cars. Guardian is therefore less far-reaching than Chauffeur, and Toyota therefore expects Guardian to be the first to be launched on the market.

Toyota’s first self-developed self-driving car has been expected for some time. Technology for self-driving cars was already shown years ago, but a completely self-developed variant was still missing. In addition, the automaker announced in 2015 that it would work with Stanford University and technology institute MIT on technology for autonomous vehicles.