Toyota Research Center Adds Work on Autonomy, Connectivity

Toyota Motor Corp.’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) in Ann Arbor, Mich., has launched a new initiative targeting autonomous and connected vehicle technologies.

Dubbed CSRC Next, the $35 million program will run through 2021. Projects will be grouped into four research areas, starting with using advanced pre-crash sensors to better integrate active and passive safety systems.

CSRC researchers also are tasked with developing "experience models" to improve usability and strengthen the driver-vehicle relationship. In addition, the team will study how to best monitor a driver’s physiology/health and apply “big data” and safety analytics to develop advanced safety algorithms.

The center currently is working on eight projects in partnership with six schools, including teaming with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab to develop identification systems for autonomous vehicles to understand “social interactions in traffic.” Another program with Virginia Tech will assess potential challenges of integrated safety systems.

During the first phase, which was launched in 2011, CSRC completed 44 research projects with 23 partner universities and published more than 200 white papers. Those projects focused on human factors, active and passive vehicle safety technologies, data analysis, voice commands and driver behavior.