First Robotics of Michigan Powered by Toyota

$20,000 in Grants To Three Michigan Organizations

Toyota Technical Center TTC announces $20,000 in grants to FIRST Robotics of Michigan. Toyota Technical Center headquartered in Ann Arbor Michigan for over 35 years has been the driving force behind Toyota’s engineering, advance research & development activities for North America and employs over 1,100 team members.

FIRST Robotic grants were provided to the Ann Arbor Huron River High School – A2 Geeks ($5,000), the FIRST Robotics State Competition ($10,000) and as part of Toyota’s pledge to Michigan Athletics and the Ann Arbor community. Beside this Toyota also made a donation to FIRST Robotics of Michigan and the Michigan Engineering Zone (MEZ) for every power play goal scored by the Wolverines this season.

On Saturday, March 15 at the hockey game Michigan vs. Minnesota a $5,000 check was presented by Kristen Tabar, vice president of TTC Technical Administration and Jeff Makarewicz vice president of TTC Corporate Strategy  to U–M engineering (MEZ) students Alissa Recker, Justin Lopas, Jenna Ross, and Executive Director of Student Affairs of the College of Engineering, Jeanne Murabito.

“At Toyota we are committed to improving student’s education by supporting programs that not only offer training and technology but include a mentoring component as well,”said Kristen Tabar, VP of Technical Administration. “We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with the A2 Geeks-Huron River High School and MEZ through FIRST Robotics that share the same priorities.”

The College of Engineering students who serve as mentors at the MEZ share their knowledge of engineering, the College process and life itself with Detroit High School students,” said Jeanne Murabito, executive director for Student Affairs at University of Michigan. “For the mentors it is an opportunity to help reinvent community and to share and receive knowledge that will last for lifetime. These mentors truly change the world for the students at the MEZ.”

Apple CarPlay Coming to Toyota…

No announcements have been made about if and when Apple CarPlay will arrive in Toyota cars. Toyota was just a name on a list of other automakers that planned to add it to vehicles “down the road” as Apple put it, so Apple’s CarPlay might be headed to Toyota vehicles. When the technology will be available, however, is still a mystery

Apple CarPlay was first announced at the company’s developer conference in San Francisco, last June under the name of iOS in the car.

Apple’s newly announced CarPlay, which is the rebranded version of iOS in the Car, a system for converting your vehicle’s in-car entertainment into an iOS powered dashboard fed content and brains by your phone, is a play that could massively expand the Apple mobile ecosystem by turning cars into app-enabled iPhone accessories. This system lets you control your phone, music, maps, messages, and third party audio apps with Siri or your car’s “touch screens, knobs, buttons, and other hardware controls.” It offers access to hands-free calling functions, but also Siri search messages and maps. That last one means that Apple will have an opportunity to push its own maps over those of competitors like Google, and that’s a big deal for its efforts to improve the service. Drivers will, of course, need a CarPlay-enabled vehicle to make use of the technology.

Toyota was one of the car makers mentioned in Apple’s announcement. There is still a question which of the Toyota models will be the first to get CarPlay compatibility.

Toyota launches Driver Awareness Research Vehicle at Los Angeles Auto show

Innovative research vehicle, developed with Microsoft, and Collaborative Studies on Universities take new approaches to combating driver distraction

There is always a question, what if we could somehow lower driver distraction before ever putting a key in the ignition? That’s the focus of Driver Awareness Research Vehicle (DAR –V) that Toyota displayed at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show. 

 “ At Toyota, our focus is not only on protecting people in case of an accident, but also on preventing that accident from happening in the first place, “ said Chuck Gulash, Director of Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center ( CSRC). “ While the auto industry will never eliminate every potential driver awareness where it needs to be – on the road ahead. “

What Gulash discussed were three specific safety research initiatives aimed at better leveraging vehicle design and interaction to help drivers keep their eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and their brain committed and aware. These grasp Toyota’s new DAR-V concept research vehicle and the financing of two university research programs.

 “Cars have become an interaction of multiple screens. Initially, there was the windscreen, and rear window and the rear and side – view mirrors, “ said Gulash. “ We now have multiple gauge clusters, large information screens and heads – up displays all feeding us information and competing for our attention.”

The DAR –V was developed in partnership with Microsoft Research to help lower driver distraction before we even start the car. The combination of gesture control, voice and key fob allows drivers to navigate information such as updates on traffic, weather, appointments and schedules for the day ahead, some route details, gas station, etc…

“We need to start thinking of the car and the driver as teammates, sharing the common goal of saving lives,” said Gulash. “The best teammates learn from each other. They watch, listen and remember. They adapt. They communicate. And they assist, as needed. In doing so, over time, a foundation of trust is built. Together, the teammates are building a common situational awareness of their driving environment. “

The DAR – V system can also recognize and differentiate between individuals. The system might also be used to lower driver distractions in other ways.

MIT AgeLab Observes the Human Factors of Voice Command

Researchers found that the mental demands from drivers, while using voice command, were actually lower than expected. Drivers compensated by slowing down, increasing the distance to other vehicles. In all those voice interactions studied, the amount of time, that drivers took their eyes off the road during voice command tasks, was greater than expected, especially among older drivers.

“These are questions that need to be answered”,  Gulash  concluded, “not only to help build a product. But also, to build a foundation of understanding and guidelines for how we proceed with further research into the human factors of automated vehicles.“

Toyota the world’s biggest seller of hybrid vehicles has sold Millions Hybrids Worldwide

Japanese giant Toyota, the world’s biggest seller of hybrid-electric vehicles has sold more than 6 million hybrid vehicles globally since it first launched a series-production hybrid in 1997. In August 1997, in Japan, Toyota launched the Coaster Hybrid EV, with the world’s first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle, but the company didn’t become synonymous with hybrids until a few months later, when the first generation of the Toyota  Prius went on sale in December, that same year.

View Westboro Toyota Prius inventory here.

According to Toyota, 6 million hybrid vehicles sold since 1997 have helped reduce CO2 emission by approximately million tons that than would have been emitted by gasoline-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance.

Since then, Toyota has consistently developed its hybrid vehicle lineup and ambitious plans and goals. In 2013, this giant automaker, declared to surpass U.S. rules, intended to double fuel economy and reduce carbon emissions.

Also, automakers agreed in 2011 to a plan by President Barack Obama targeting an industrywide increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy, CAFE, to 54.5 miles per gallon of gasoline by 2025. Bob Carter, the automaker’s U.S. senior vice president, said that increased sales of hybrids and other alternative powered autos will help Toyota comply with that rule.

The 54.5 CAFE goal isn’t equivalent to window sticker-labels intended to show actual fuel economy for new cars and trucks. The window-sticker average for all autos sold in the U.S. last year rose 1 mpg to an all-time high of 24.8 mpg, based on data compiled by University of Michigan researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle. On a U.S. CAFE basis, the average was 30 mpg in 2013, also the best ever, said Sivak.

Toyota will release 15 new or revamped hybrids worldwide between August 2013 and 2015 and a fuel-cell sedan next year to lift efficiency, Carter said.

“With our wide-ranging lineups and lead in hybrid vehicles, we think we are in the pole position on CAFE,” he said.

“A lot of people think we can get there mostly with advanced ICEs, ”Robert Bienfeld, U.S.  senior manager of environmental and energy strategy for Tokyo-based Honda, said in an interview. “A lot depends on consumer response. Inexpensive gasoline is going to be challenging.”

Gracenote Enhances Toyota Entune Music Experience

Gracenote Music Identification, Media Management and Enhanced Voice Recognition Make it Easier for Toyota Drivers to Access their Music from Connected Devices

Gracenote recognition technology is the foundation for everything music related in the car.

Gracenote technology, Cover Art and Music metadata provide safer and easier ways to navigate music collections.

Gracenote ® technology and music metadata help make it easier for Toyota drivers to enjoy and manage their digital music collection with Toyota Entune ™ - enabled multimedia systems. Entune, which in 2011 was given the “CNET Best of CES” award for Car tech, is a revolutionary new multimedia system that lets Toyota drivers and passengers use voice and touch commands to connect to popular apps and interact with their music on mobile devices.

The Entune – enabled system in select 2012 model year Toyota vehicles features Gracenote licensed Album cover Art, Playlist Plus™ and MediaVOCS® technologies. As such, when a driver’s iPod, smart phone or USB drive is connected inside the car, Gracenote Playlist Plus technology sees the artist and album names, which is meant to make it easier for drivers to navigate their music as well as their car.

Gracenote, in the release, gives an example for Angus Young fans of how the technology identifies names: inconsistent and conflicting artist spellings like “AC-DC,” “AC/DC” or “AC.DC” are not a problem.

Apart from all of this, Gracenote Playlist Plus also associates detailed Genre information (e.g. Indie Rock, Punk, Classic R&B and Ska), Origin (e.g. U.S. - New York, England – London), Era (e.g. 1970, 1980s) with the driver’s music collection, allowing them to automatically create similar music playlists spanning multiple genres.

“With digital music collections on smart phones and other connected devices now reaching into hundreds and even thousands of songs, it is critical to provide drivers a safe and easy way to interact with their music,” said Vadim Brenner, vice president of product at Gracenote. “The pairing of Gracenote’s technology and data intelligence with the innovative Entune multimedia system provides Toyota drivers a powerful in-car entertainment experience, where they can access and manage all of their music while keeping their attention on the road.”  

The company claims that Gracenote Global Media Database is the largest and most comprehensive music database in the world featuring music and video metadata and licensed cover art images.

Toyota 4Runner one of the Top 10 Fast Lane Car’s for 2014

It’s the Fast Lane Car’s fifth annual Fun Rides Top Ten. At the beginning of every year, The Fast Lane Car (TFLcar) selects vehicles that provide one of the most basic, yet rewarding feelings a driver can experience from an automobile –fun or “most fun to drive’’. In order to evaluate the vehicles, the team from TFLCar  tests them in a variety of climates and environments year round. They put together a Top Ten list of vehicles from a variety of categories that are fun to drive.

To qualify, these vehicles have to be available for purchase in North America and also available for the staff of The Fast Lane Car to evaluate prior to the New Year (2014 in this case).

Each vehicle has its own way of making an impression. However, they must put a smile on the driver’s face. 

The 2014 Toyota 4Runner has been named to tflcar.com’s fifth annual Top 10 - Most Fun to Drive Car Awards, and is also the only true SUV in the Fast Lane Car’s Top 10.

The 4Runner is one of these vehicles, noted for how it is, “pretty serious off-road, a lot of fun to drive” and “one of the last true SUVs.” These vehicles put smiles on faces and convey a Joie de Vivre.

The 4Runner is the only body-on-frame sport utility vehicle (SUV) to make this year’s 10 list, which includes luxury brands, performance vehicles and consumer favorites. 

“These automobiles may or may not be the fastest, the most powerful, or the most expensive, but they are certainly the most interesting cars that we’ve driven in the past year, and that’s why we’re proud to announce they made our list “, said Roman Mica, tflcar.com publisher.