Toyota Cars: Toyota Testifies Before Congress on Connected-Car Future Technology
Imagine your car can see around the corner to determine whether there’s a pedestrian or bicyclist in the road. Or perhaps it notifies you when an emergency vehicle is approaching or there’s ice on the road. The good news is the technology already exists and Toyota and other car companies are testing it for future implementation.
Using dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) technology cars can communicate with each other and roadside infrastructure to notify drivers of potential hazards. Innovative technology like DSRC presents the next major opportunity to reduce injuries and fatalities from traffic accidents.
John Kenney, Principal Researcher at Toyota InfoTechnology Center in Silicon Valley addressed the opportunities and challenges associated with DSRC today before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
On Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC):
DSRC-equipped vehicles broadcast precise information – such as their location, speed, and acceleration – several times per second over a range of a few hundred meters. Other vehicles outfitted with DSRC technology receive these “messages” and use them to compute the trajectory of each neighboring vehicle, compare these with their own predicted path, and determine if any of the neighboring vehicles pose a collision threat.
This DSRC-enabled vehicle-to-vehicle communication capability paves the way for the next-generation of lane departure and forward collision warnings, sudden braking ahead warnings, do not pass warnings, intersection collision avoidance systems, and approaching emergency vehicle notifications.
On The Potential Of DSRC Technology:
Just as the Internet has moved far beyond its original limited email and file transfer applications, DSRC is also likely to unleash creative and innovative connected car applications that go far beyond the immediate safety benefits.
DSRC will save lives, improve the environment, create jobs, and help the United States to maintain technical leadership in a field that will be an important contributor to economic growth in the future.
On Toyota’s Commitment To DSRC Technology:
Toyota believes in and is committed to DSRC as a critical safety technology. In fact, we have already commercialized first-generation DSRC technology, and recently announced plans to commercialize second-generation DSRC, in other markets and would like to bring this technology to drivers of our vehicles here in the near future.
Source, Toyota. Please read more.
