Toyota’s Begins New Phase of Autonomous, Connected Vehicle Research in Ann Arbor

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Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) in Ann Arbor today announced a set of new research programs that detail the opportunities and challenges of emerging vehicle technologies.

The 11 projects, launched in partnership with eight leading research institutions across North America, are the first projects launched under CSRC Next, the center’s five-year program to support a safer transition to the future of mobility.

Launched in January, CSRC Next builds on the insights gained from the CSRC’s first five years and will direct $35 million towards safety research into advanced vehicle technologies, including autonomous and connected systems.

Current partners include: University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Virginia Technological University, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Iowa, Indiana University-Purdue University, University of Wisconsin, and University of California, San Diego.

The research projects will focus on the impact of advanced technology on broader safety trends and the interaction between humans and machines. Specific research challenges include the integration of advanced active safety systems including automatic emergency breaking, passive systems, human experience design for advanced technology vehicles, driver state detection, and using analytics to improve the study of naturalistic data.

“Autonomous and connected vehicle technologies are only just beginning to transform the transportation landscape,” says Chuck Gulash, director of CSRC. “By working together with world-renowned institutions and making our results public, we are proud to help realize the promise of advanced mobility solutions and a safe, convenient transportation future.”

Since its launch in 2011, CSRC has launched and completed 44 research projects with 23 partner universities, publishing more than 200 papers and presenting at multiple industry conferences.

CSRC projects have contributed to automotive safety across the industry, including research into human factors impacting vehicle safety and the efficiency of active and passive safety systems, as well as a collection of driving data and development for tools for analysis.