Toyota’s Concept-i car takes car safety to a new level

With the unveiling of its Concept-i at CES 2017, Toyota gave an idea about the direction it wants to take when it concerns AI and self-driving: creating a bond between the car and the driver.

At the heart of this bond is Yui, the Concept-i’s AI agent. Yui is meant to totally incorporate the motorist in the vehicle and is for that reason not limited to the dashboard. Yui can utilize light, sound, and even touch throughout the vehicle’s cabin to relay crucial details to the motorist. The AI agent can likewise appear on the automobile’s doors, such as when welcoming the motorist, or on the rear of the car to signal a turn or warn of an inbound danger.

Yui learns gradually and utilizes biometric systems to determine a driver’s emotions and attention. The AI agent is also able to carry on a discussion and play games.

“At TRI (Toyota Research Institute), we believe that Yui, the concept AI agent might not just be a way to engage with human beings and create useful recommendations to the motorist, we believe it may likewise be a way to regulate and preserve a motorist’s situational awareness using mild secondary tasks to promote safety,” stated Gill Pratt, CEO at Toyota Research Institute.

The firm states it visualizes a future where humans and vehicles can work as a team and make driving safe.