Toyota to Launch New LQ Concept Vehicle With AI Assistant

Toyota is set to launch the new LQ concept car equipped with its own AI-driven assistant.

According to Toyota, the LQ concept smart car will feature ‘Yui’, an AI assistant that is designed to read the driver’s biometric signs and deliver a personalized mobility experience.

“With the LQ, we are proud to propose a vehicle that can deliver a personalized experience, meet each driver’s unique mobility needs, and build an even stronger bond between car and driver,” said LQ development leader Daisuke Ido.

Behind the LQ is Toyota’s core development theme of “Learn, Grow, Love”, and the understanding that ‘mobility goes beyond physical transportation to include the human need to be moved and engaged emotionally.’

The LQ concept is considered by Toyota to be an evolution of their Concept-I, which debuted back in October of 2017. The Concept-I similarly featured the ‘Yui’ agent that could analyze the driver’s facial expressions and tone of voice to determine their emotional state and tailor various aspects of the driving experience accordingly.

The LQ builds on what Toyota demonstrated in 2017, with the ‘Yui’ AI agent now able to engage with the driver using interactive voice communications.

It can also make real-time adjustments to the seats to increase alertness or reduce stress, such as inflating an air bladder in the seat to encourage an upright posture when it detects that the driver may be tired. Yui can be placed in charge of the music being played, and make its selection based on the driving environment. It can also provide real-time information on topics of interest to the driver.

Toyota has essentially designed ‘Yui’ to read a number of the drivers’ biometric cues to try and create the best possible driving experience.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 4 autonomous driving system rating means that although the vehicle is designed to be able to drive itself under most conditions, the driver is still required to remain alert and to be able to manually control the vehicle at all times.

Other features of the LQ include light strips embedded in the floor and roof that will change colour depending on which passenger ‘Yui’ is interacting with, a catalyst coating on the car that decomposes ozone into oxygen, and the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD). The DMD can activate one million tiny mirrors to better illuminate the road ahead.

The LQ concept is set to launch on October 23rd at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.

Source: Jalopnik