Toyota's safety super-computer

28 November 2007

Driving simulator to save lives
Dubbed 'world's biggest PlayStation'
Research being carried out in Japan

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Toyota is using a driving simulator to improve safety technology in its cars.

Dubbed the 'world's biggest PlayStation' by Toyota, the machine is reported to provide one of the world's most realistic simulated driving environments.

Based in Japan, the machine features a real car, which is placed on a platform inside a 7.1-metre dome, which serves as a 360-degree screen.

As the driver operates the car, a tilt mechanism, vibration apparatus and other devices manipulate the dome, which moves around an area the size of four tennis courts.

As a result, the driver gets a true sense of speed, acceleration and ride comfort, while sound effects add to the realism of the experience.

Toyota plans to use the simulator to monitor driving hazards such as falling asleep at the wheel, drowsiness, glancing from side to side and illness. It claims it can then develop solutions to the problems they present.

It is also working on several active safety initiatives, such as automatic braking and obstacle-avoidance systems.