In a move to up the safety standards across the entire global product range, Toyota has revealed smart new technologies and systems that will be featured in their cars from 2015. Also, the company is working on Safety Sense active safety packages which will be made available worldwide by the end of 2017. The safety systems include vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to- infrastructure communication.
The system works to ensure safe driving, especially in conditions with poor visibility and high risk zones such as blind turns and junctions with fast moving traffic. The system also detects pedestrians in the vicinity and blind spots. Also, a forward facing millimeter-wave radar keeps the vehicle-to-vehicle distance in check. The company is also working on developing next-generation headlamps, capable of reducing glare for on-coming traffic. In fact, independently controlled LEDs can light up the gaps between vehicles ahead and warn the driver of possible pedestrians. The intelligent illumination system works in tandem with the steering system so as to illuminate the inside of a turn.
The Safety Sense package will be developed around two main platforms – C for mid-sized vehicles and P for larger vehicles. The two packages will combine the existing safety systems like lane assist, auto-high beam, and pre-crash safety and will be introduced with an inherent universality, as they will be made available across all models and variants. These systems will be featured on cars that come out post 2017.
Story: Aniruddha Mulgund
