Toyota and Microsoft team up for smart car tech
Toyota is partnering with the world’s biggest name in software to launch a new venture called Toyota Connected that will focus on developing connected car technology for the company.
According to Automotive News, the new venture will be headed by the chief information officer at Toyota Motor North America, Zack Hicks. Microsoft will be helping “consolidate much of the carmaker’s global research in telematics, data analytics and network security services.”
Specifically Toyota is interested in marrying Microsoft’s cloud technology with telematics, infotainment, and more to make driving a more “personal, intuitive, and safe experience.”
What does that mean? Well it’s not entirely clear at first but it seems as though Toyota wants to be able to offer a services that enhance the convenience of personal travel. Just as a good concierge might. Your car will get to know you as its driver and use artificial intelligence to help you in various ways. An example of this would be a football fan on their way to the game. The car would actually be able to recognize this and automatically find and ask if you want to prepay for good parking.
The technology will also study usage based insurance, traffic patterns, and how best to connect drivers with relevant information such as weather and traffic reports and even your home security.
Initial investment in Toyota Connected is USD$5.5 million which while significant pales in comparison to Toyota’s billion dollar investment in Toyota Research Institute Inc. as the massive conglomerate sinks its teeth into advanced artificial intelligence and robotics research. It seems like we’re coming ever closer to a day where our cars and homes will change from being mere tools that we use to intelligent helpers that play important roles in our day-to-day lives.