Toyota Brings Advancements to Auto World with Self-Driving Systems

Toyota has been leading the industry for years with technological advancements—especially when it comes to safety. Toyota Safety Sense helped pioneer advanced features, including lane departure waring, pedestrian detection, and adaptive cruise control. The Toyota Research Institute is working hard on two different advancements for autonomous cars that is being built in hopes to one day eliminate preventable car crashes. These two modes are aptly named “Chauffeur mode” and “Guardian mode.”
Photo by: Toyota

The Chauffeur mode is the feature that the driver will select if they wish for their car to be driven for them, just like a professional chauffeur would. In this mode, the car will essentially drive itself, weaving around obstacles, and changing lanes. If a car or other obstacle is parked on the road ahead, the vehicle will actively change lanes to avoid the obstacle. 

While changing lanes, the vehicle will recognize if a car is in the lane it is changing to. The vehicle will then slow down, let the car pass, and safely change lanes to avoid the obstacle. 
?Photo by: Toyota

The other amazing feature that the Toyota Research Institute is working on is dubbed “Guardian mode.” Guardian mode takes over control of the vehicle if the driver happens to fall asleep at the wheel or if they exhibit signs of distracted driving. 

The vehicle does this by examining the driver’s eyes, as well as their head positioning to determine if the driver is distracted/sleeping. If the driver’s head suddenly falls downward, Guardian mode will take over and start driving for the incapacitated driver. Once the driver returns to a normal state, the vehicle will then ask if they would like to take back control of their vehicle. 

With these innovative new technological advancements, the Toyota Research Institute hopes to pave the way in autonomous vehicles that will prevent crashes for generations to come and ultimately save lives. For inquiries on a brand-new Toyota today, visit our website and explore our long list of amazing Toyotas. (Driver required.)