Toyota DARV 1.5 – exploring driver awareness further

toyota darv 1.5

Toyota has come up with a new version of its Driver Awareness Research Vehicle (DARV), previewing the Avalon-based technology showcase vehicle at last month’s Aspen Ideas Festival in the US.

The DARV 1.5, as it’s called, follows in the footsteps of the Sienna MPV-based DAR-V that debuted in Los Angeles last year, continuing on the same theme of being a working platform for studying the dynamics of driver distraction.

The study aims to find out how best to keep a driver focused on the road without sacrificing any of the benefits offered by the ever-growing flood of sophisticated on-board information systems making their way onto cars.

toyota darv 1.5 b

The initiative seeks to streamline the amount of information to the driver, presenting the fringe info before driving begins and keeping it to that about the road ahead and traffic conditions during driving.

New features on the 1.5, which is equipped with Microsoft’s Surface tablet and Kinect motion-sensing technologies and custom-designed Infosys biometric software, include a driver “lock-in” function.

This identifies who is at the wheel through body frame tracking, and the system then automatically enables or disables certain control features according to the profile. Elsewhere, the vehicle explores how wearable devices such as smart watches might be used to control vehicle functions.

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Anthony Lim

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

 

Comments

  • Same L0rrr on Jul 25, 2014 at 10:39 am

    Well done, Toyota!

    Focus on the road, not flowery handling, smoking others or android GPS device.

    Selamat Hari Raya to Malaysian drivers and drive safe. You do 120km/h cornering, you only syok sendiri. You reach home safely, everyone in your family syok.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 16
    • Alfonso Romeo on Jul 27, 2014 at 8:40 pm

      At least theyll be happier cornering at 120kmh and smoking others while be peace in mind to know that they have more airbags and greater safety features than those uncle toyota who constantly glare at the road just in case they hit a spec of dust and explode to pieces. Cuz you know. Toyota’s bombastic safety features. Selamat hari raya too :)

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • Meanwhile in Malaysia, our luxurios Camry continues to get 2 airbags and 4-speed auto…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 0
  • trololol on Jul 25, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    compare audi a5 side look with this and tell me what do you guys think ?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • This DARV after equipped in Toyota Malaysia vehicles sure explode

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • roy tan on Jul 27, 2014 at 8:27 pm

    No matter what people think. Toyota is always the best choice. Simple, quality & long lasting. Besides, always the fuel economical car. No use if a car has high futures but last for <5 years. We are in Malaysia.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
    • Obviously (Member) on Jul 27, 2014 at 10:08 pm

      That shows the scope of your research is quite limited. Is Toyota the only automaker that make cars that last more than 5 years? Are they the only automakers that make cars that have quality? Are they the only automakers that make simple cars? No, no, and no. While Toyota does make cars with good quality, they aren’t the only ones doing so.

      Also, they aren’t the most economical.

      To be clear, I am not saying Toyota is bad. They just aren’t the “only logical choice”. However, the lack of comprehensive safety specs (AT LEAST 2 airbags and VSC) in the Vios (the best selling non-national car) is quite alarming. It is probably UMW Toyota’s fault for it being marketed in such a state but one must question as well: why isn’t Toyota intervening by pushing UMW to equip the cars with better safety specs?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
 

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