Toyota shifts to IA in shaping its future

TOKYO, Japan – Toyota Motor Corp. is going beyond selling cars by focusing on people for the future of mobility through the use of new technologies such as intelligent automation (IA).

In line with this shift, local unit Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) is exploring ways to put people at the center to promote mobility for all.

Speaking at the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota president Akio Toyoda said that as the world advances toward automation through artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, the company has taken an approach to focus on people.

With concerns on whether the day when robots would dominate people would come, he said Toyota’s response is based on the company’s roots which are found in the automatic loom invented by Sakichi Toyoda.

In this invention, the loom would automatically stop when a thread breaks, helping prevent defects in products.

Toyoda said this was based on the thinking people should not be turned into machine watchers.

“At Toyota, we call this ‘automation with people’, or ‘IA’,” he said.

Along with IA, he said Toyota is also applying just in time by making only what is necessary in the amount needed.

“And that’s exactly why people will continue to be at the center of the future that we envision,” he said.

Through IA and focus on people, Toyota sees the cars of the future to be like horses by being able to communicate with people and their hearts.

“I would say that this means that our future society of mobility will be a society in which horse carriages and ‘beloved horses’ co-exist. And what people want of ‘beloved horses’ is heartfelt communication and the joy of moving together,” Toyoda said.

As Toyota is transforming into a mobility company focused on people, the firm’s booth this year does not feature a single car to be launched next year.

“All that is found here are forms of mobility that link to society and communities and that provide modes of getting around and services to people,” Toyoda said.

Among those featured by Toyota at the Tokyo Motor Show is the e-Palette, scheduled to debut at the time of next year ’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 to provide mobility support for athletes and related staff.

Toyota is providing 20 units of the battery-electric and autonomous e-Palette for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The vehicle has been designed specifically to meet the mobility needs of athletes.

Equipped with automated driving system, the vehicle constantly monitors for obstacles across a full 360-degree field of vision around the vehicle, and allows the operator to take control using an emergency safety switch.

“In the future, the e-Palette will be able to be an office, a shop, or even a hotel. It will be able to become various kinds of services, and it will go to people,” Toyoda said.

This, as the e-Palette can be owned by different people and used depending on their needs.

Toyota’s booth also featured a future health check that can tell you how your body is doing if you get on it.

At the Future Expo at the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota likewise displayed the LQ, a concept car which uses advanced technology to build an emotional bond between the car and the driver.

That emotional bond is made possible by LQ’s automated driving capabilities and the AI-powered interactive agent called Yui, designed to learn from the driver and deliver a personalized mobility experience.