The Toyota Research
Institute is returning to CES with an all-new automated driving test vehicle
based on the Lexus LS. Named the P4, the prototype is a high-tech vehicle which
features autonomous driving technology. While that isn’t too uncommon these
days, the P4 has been designed to assist in the development of two different
automated driving technologies called Guardian and Chauffeur.
Guardian is the
more basic of the two as it is designed to “amplify human performance behind
the wheel, not replace it.” Toyota didn’t go into specifics, but it sounds like
a semi-autonomous driving system with an assortment of driver assistance
features.
Chauffeur mode, on
the other hand, is significantly more advanced. As the name suggests, it’s
focused on full autonomy where the driver is effectively replaced by a digital
chauffeur. Toyota says this could occur in all environments or in “a restricted
driving domain” such as a pre-mapped area.
Developing
chauffeur mode on the Lexus LS isn’t just a subtle nod to the ultra-wealthy as
Toyota says the model was selected for its new generation chassis and steering
control technology. The company says
this provides “greater agility and allows for more responsive and smoother
maneuvers during automated driving.”
Based on the
experiences learned from the previous Platform 3.0 prototype, the P4 has a
familiar LIDAR sensing system with eight scanning heads. It has been joined by
two additional cameras and two new imaging sensors which face forward and
backwards. Besides the extra cameras and sensors, the P4 has an improved radar
system which has better close range detection.
Those aren’t the
only improvements as the new prototype has more computing power than its
predecessor. Toyota says this enables the system to process inputs faster,
react more quickly and “operate more machine learning algorithms in parallel
for faster learning.” P4 prototypes will go into production this spring and
Toyota will release additional information about its Guardian automated driving
system on January 7th.
