July 22, 2011 02:21 pm EDT

Toyota's new crash-avoidance technology takes control of the wheel

Crash-avoidance technology in cars is hardly anything new, of course, but Toyota's gone a bit further than most with its latest effort. While complete details are still a bit light (including any word of an actual rollout to vehicles), the new system is said to use a combination of both front and rear cameras, and millimeter wave radar technology to detect pedestrians or obstacles that could lead to a crash. The real kicker, however, is that when the car does detect a possible collision, it actually takes control of the wheel to avoid it instead of just stopping the vehicle. What's more, that's just one new safety measure that Toyota recently showed off to reporters in Tokyo -- it's also working on things like a pop-up hood that could provide some additional protection in the event of a crash, and a steering wheel that can measure the driver's heartbeat and avoid a crash if they suffer a heart attack.

Toyota's new crash-avoidance technology takes control of the wheel originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | AP ||Comments

Original Link: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/22/toyotas-new-crash-avoidance-technology-takes-control-of-the-whe/

View Full Article

Engadget

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics. Engadget was launched in March of 2004 in partnership with the Weblogs, Inc. Network (WI

More About this Source Visit Engadget