Toyota says the Concept-i was designed "from
the inside out," which might be a good explanation for the way it presents
itself to those looking at if from the outside.
Despite having the
"i" at the back of its name, the Concept-i is actually built around
the driver and their relationship with the vehicle. Like all autonomous cars,
the Concept-i comes equipped with a powerful AI, but instead of using its
computing power and learning capabilities strictly for navigating, Toyota's
robotic mind will do more than that.
The Concept-i would like you to
meet Yui. That's the name of the vehicle's AI Agent which will act as an
advanced user interface. It will do stuff like greet you when you approach the
car, but also more complex actions that ultimately aim to improve the quality
of life of those inside, even though Toyota doesn't go into much more details.
More worrying is the part where the vehicle's AI is
said to be able to intervene in the way the Concept-i drives even when in
manual mode, without the driver knowing or asking for it. It sounds like every
time Yui thinks he knows better than you, he'll just take over without
bothering to warn you about it.
Moving on to the interior, there are tons of white, glossy plastic and not that many displays.
That's not Toyota going cheap, but rather an intentional feature as the
information is conveyed through other means, including haptic feel. There are
also miniature projectors and colored interior lighting that are used for
communicating relevant info, while the driver has a next-gen head-up display at
his disposal.
