An exciting new Toyota autonomous vehicle research centre is set to open in the US: https://t.co/iqVBs5vdwA pic.twitter.com/EOlw7GCup6
— ToyotaGB (@ToyotaGB) April 8, 2016
Last winter, Toyota announced it would be investing $1 billion to open two research and development facilities, collectively called the Toyota Research Institute (TRI).
The Palo Alto, CA and Cambridge, Ma locations will now be joined by a third facility in Ann Arbor, MI.
Toyota isn't just fulfilling a coastal requirement by plunking the newest facility between the other two (east coast, west coast, Midwest... are we seeing a pattern here?). Toyota has deep roots in the Michigan area.
Gill Pratt, TRI's CEO, explains why Ann Arbor is the perfect location. "TRI was drawn to Ann Arbor because of the strength of the university; the utility of Mcity and the Mobility Transformation Center which we currently sponsor; the promise of the future American Center for Mobility at Willow Run; and the proximity to, and synergies with, our two well-established Toyota Technical Centers nearby."
Pratt references Mcity, the University of Michigan's 32-acre fake city. This resource is likely to prove vital in testing and perfecting the autonomous vehicles TRI-Ann Arbor will be focused on developing.
The other two facilities will specialize in A.I. and semi-autonomous safety features, like Toyota Safety Sense.
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