Automotive

Toyota Concept-i series pieces together door-to-door mobility

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Toyota's Concept-i Ride alongside its original Concept-i vehicle
One of the newly unveiled concepts is a Segway-esque mobility aid called the Concept i Walk
Interior of Toyota's Concept-i Ride
Interior of Toyota's wheelchair-friendly Concept-i Ride
Interior of Toyota's Concept-i Ride
Toyota's Concept-i Ride alongside its original Concept-i vehicle
Toyota's original Concept-i vehicle
Toyota's Concept-i Ride is designed for wheelchair users
One of the newly unveiled concepts is a Segway-esque mobility aid called the Concept i Walk
Toyota's Concept i Walk is a three-wheeled vehicle with a low-floor for easier hopping on and off
Toyota's Concept-i Ride is designed for wheelchair users
Toyota's Concept-i Ride is designed for wheelchair users
Toyota's Concept i Walk is a three-wheeled vehicle with a low-floor for easier hopping on and off
Toyota's Concept i Walk is a three-wheeled vehicle with a low-floor for easier hopping on and off
Interior of Toyota's original Concept-i vehicle
Toyota's Concept i Walk is a three-wheeled vehicle with a low-floor for easier hopping on and off
Toyota's Concept i Walk will be shown off at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
Toyota's Concept-i Ride will be shown off at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
Interior of Toyota's Concept-i Ride
Toyota's Concept i Walk is a three-wheeled vehicle with a low-floor for easier hopping on and off
One of the newly unveiled concepts is a Segway-esque mobility aid called the Concept i Walk
View gallery - 20 images

Introduced at CES earlier this year, Toyota's Concept-i offered a glimpse of how artificially intelligent vehicles might interact with their users. The company has now added a couple of new concepts to this forward-thinking lineup that cater to less mobile folks, with both to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month.

If the futuristic and eye-catching exterior didn't give it away, then the user interface inside might. Toyota sees the Concept-i not as a car for today, but as a vehicle for how AI can be developed to make for new and improved driver experiences in the future. A heads-up display spans the width of the windshield, while the onboard AI monitors the driver's mood and alertness and can learn to automatically switch between manual and automated driving modes.

Interior of Toyota's original Concept-i vehicle

All of this is Toyota's way of exploring how new connections can be created between people and their vehicles. Slipping into autonomous mode automatically is part of that, but the company hopes that its in-vehicle AI can combine with biometric hardware and GPS data to recognize people's emotions and then in time, create a more enjoyable ride by suggesting detours or engaging them in conversation, for example.

One of the newly announced concepts is the Concept-i Ride, a two-seater electric vehicle designed for wheelchair users. To that end, it features gull-wing doors and a sliding electric seat for easy entry and storage for a wheelchair in the rear. A joystick takes the place of a steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals and the AI Agent is presented on a large instrument display beneath the windshield and offers useful tidbits, like where to find wheelchair-friendly facilities.

Interior of Toyota's Concept-i Ride

The second addition continues Toyota's long history of developing Segway-esque personal mobility vehicles like the Winglet. Called the Concept i Walk, the three-wheeler has a low-floor for easier hopping on and off, and can rotate more or less on the spot, well, apparently within a space smaller than a person's stride. The AI Agent works with data gathered by sensors in the handles to sense dangers and warn the driver, even taking over to automatically avoid obstacles in certain scenarios.

Both of the new concepts will be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show, which kicks off on October 25.

Source: Toyota

View gallery - 20 images
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1 comment
vince
Enough with the concepts that never have a chance in hell of becoming real cars. Toyota is just trying to divert attention to itself and away from Tesla nothing more.