Toyota Research Institute (TRI) opened its doors for the first time to members of the media on February 15, 2023 to showcase the research taking place at its headquarters in Silicon Valley.

During the TRI Expo, the company’s CEO and Toyota Motor Corporation’s Chief Scientist, Gill Pratt, explained TRI’s high-risk, high-reward approaches to tackle three major societal challenges:  1) aging society, 2) climate change, and 3) human understanding.

During the Expo, TRI said reporters toured its headquarters and learned how TRI’s research explores the frontier where the risks and rewards are highest. Attendees were able to experience TRI’s Driver-in-the-loop Motion Simulator, a high-realism, immersive driving experience created to enhance the interface between human drivers and autonomy. They also saw firsthand various research vehicles built to explore ways to make cars safer in the future. The tour also included a close-up look at TRI’s advanced robotics laboratory. 

“In the 1930s, Toyota made a huge leap by expanding from manufacturing textile looms to building cars. TRI’s mission is to discover the next technological leap that will transform Toyota’s business,” says Pratt. “We are explorers researching ways to make cars better, but we’re also discovering what mobility may mean beyond cars. We believe that our high-risk, high-reward research approach can unlock the next, big breakthrough for Toyota and our customers around the world.”

TRI introduced its five core research areas – energy and materials, human-centered AI, human interactive driving, machine learning, and robotics – and outlined why these pursuits were selected, how they strengthen each other, and how they address societal problems.

• Energy & Materials uses AI to accelerate the breakthroughs needed to build safe, affordable, high-performing zero-emission vehicles.
• Human-Centered AI is creating new human-AI capabilities that enhance human understanding to advance collective well-being.
• Human Interactive Driving amplifies human capabilities and puts the human at the center of the driving experience.
• Machine Learning is training algorithms to adapt and change on their own for the benefit of humanity.
• Robotics is unlocking robotic capabilities that amplify and empower humans, at home and at work.

For more information, visit http://tri.global.