How Toyota Kept Me From Maiming And Killing. Now With Pictures
Yesterday, we showed you how Toyota is going to help protect its customers from fender benders and more serious accidents, while it is at least trying to protect itself from people and lawyers who look for a deep-pocketed company to blame for their own shortcomings. Yesterday, I risked life and limb to personally test these systems on behalf of TTAC’s readers. Today, we bring you the pictures.
The systems seem to be ready for prime time. I walked away with my life, but only with one picture. As chronicled yesterday, more picture-taking was foiled by a representative of another automotive website – he swears it was an accident.
Toyota graciously offered (thank you, KC) the exclusive services of their Toyotashi-based in-house photographer Naoki Sumino. What follows is original Sumino artwork.
In the parking lot
This is supposed to be a mock-up parking lot of a Seven-11. While ogling pretty ladies, I am about to back into a wall.
Sonar becomes aware of my stupidity. The system notices that I am distracted by the fairer sex, and stops the car.
Now for the more harrowing part: I want to drive out of the parking lot, but accidentally, I am in reverse. I hit an obstacle. I freak …
… and I throw the shift lever into drive, with my foot still on the gas. The car lurches forward. The system detects the anomaly, and slows the car. Phew.
Everything but pedestrian
Open season for pedestrians, BS is on the prowl! “Officer, I could not see the guy, he walked right in front of my car!”
The system detects him, and brakes the car much faster than I could react. Should personal contact become unavoidable, a pop-up hood would cushion the impact.
The dummy will live another day.
A blind date with death
En-route to my next adventure, I sit in a blind spot. Go, or no go?
The system sees what I can’t see: Another car is coming. Thataways.
Good call! No T-bone today. (Note: This system requires on-site support, a pole and a few cameras. Recycled red light camera’s anyone?)
High speed pursuit and happiness
Car chase! A game that everybody loves. I barrel down the road, intent on rear-ending an Auris.
Actually, it’s a clever decoy.
As hard as I may try to hump the car in front of me, the system won’t let me. Getting perilously close to the Auris, the system slams the brakes …
… and the Auris remains unharmed. Close, but good call.
Mountainview, Japan
This is the Mount Fuji picture we promised you yesterday. The mountain grows right in the back yard of Toyota’s tech center. Toyota handily beats all other tech centers in the most scenic view department. Among other things.
TTAC expresses its gratitude to Sumino-san and all the people at Toyota for making this, and especially the pictures, possible.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Is the purple car in the photos a new Crown?
Surely these technologies are going to be at price-premiums for consumers, and, in the case of Toyota, won't likely be offered on anything short of an Avalon or Highlander Hybrid Limited, but I wonder if they will pay off in insurance savings...