New Toyota Technology Controls Steering

Manufacturing.Net ^ | July 21, 2011 | Yuri Kageyama

[Still Thinking]

SUSONO, Japan (AP) -- Toyota is developing a safety technology that takes control of the steering so the vehicle can veer away when it isn't able to stop before impact.

Toyota Motor Corp. showed some of its up and coming safety innovations in a demonstration to reporters Thursday at its facility in this town, west of Tokyo, near Mount Fuji.

All the world's automakers are working on special safety technology in an effort to woo customers, as competition intensifies among manufacturers already neck-and-neck in delivering the regular features for their products.

Cars that stop or slow down automatically before an object or person in anticipation of a possible crash are not new. But Toyota's latest pre-collision system adds a steering-control feature.

[Still Thinking]

[facepalm] Excellent plan. Right up until the car plunges off some mountain road to avoid hitting the stopped car ahead which would have been safer.

When are manufacturers going to figure out that they're setting themselves up for lawsuits by trying to take control out of the hands of their customers?

[cripplecreek]

Yep, give me less safe cars and better drivers any day.

[moovova]

Does the steering wheel glow in the dark...cesium-style?

[Still Thinking]

No, but the passengers do!

[Lazamataz]

Toyota is developing a safety technology that takes control of the steering so the vehicle can veer away when it isn't able to stop before impact.....

..... and neatly clipping the girl scout cookie stand that didn't register on radar, decapitating four twelve-year-old girls, and totally destroying seven boxes of Thin Mints.

[The Free Engineer]

Or veers into a bicyclist instead of hitting a tree.

[Fresh Wind]

Toyauto isn’t the only one considering this. VW is doing it too, and probably others.

Just wait ‘till the fedgov decides to ram that down our throats.

No thanks.

[Sacajaweau]

I abhor the anti lock brakes. I’m old school...and it works much better. I can SEE what to go for....and adjust...

[Deaf Smith]

" when it isn't able to stop before impact."

If it hurts when you do that, then don't do that.

[max americana]

It’s already bad enough they mandated every car in 2011 have a black box recorder, now this nonsense.

All I darn need is what the level of my gas is and all the light thingys that light up that shows me my car is working.

[Proud2BeRight]

I can control my own vehicle better than some software developer in Japan.

[NonValueAdded]

or the pedestrian the driver was trying to avoid

[FrankR]

America has done pretty well the last couple of years voting with their wallets AGAINST the Volt...we can do the same with any car that contains a "black box".

It's "big brother" and we should be raising hell with Washington, not being complacent and just "going along to get along".

[Still Thinking]

America has done pretty well the last couple of years voting with their wallets AGAINST the Volt...we can do the same with any car that contains a "black box".

Not very easily. They're ALL required to have one.

[PapaBear3625]

[facepalm] Excellent plan. Right up until the car plunges off some mountain road to avoid hitting the stopped car ahead which would have been safer.

Or avoids the car and plunges into a group of pedestrians.

[dusttoyou]

Just don’t buy new one. Cuba has been running 53 Chevy’s for 60 years.

[Still Thinking]

Or avoids the car and plunges into a group of pedestrians.

True enough. I chose the mountain road scenario because it's one where a danger is posed by something NOT being there. The article claims this tech can see pedestrians.

[Kickass Conservative]

They probably got the idea after watching “Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines”.

[Still Thinking]

Or 2001 -- A Space Oddity. "I don't think you want to do that, Dave. Dave....."

[Lazlo in PA]

Funny. I have been driving cars with manual drum brakes and manual steering with no airbags and I somehow am able to avoid accidents. I use this other high tech device invented years ago. The windshield. I look out the windscreen to see hazards coming and take appropriate action when they happen.

It looks to me that it won't be too long before the Gov't mandates this crap to save people from crashing while texting.