Toyota Concept-i — an emotional connection to your vehicle

As the world races toward a driverless future of robo-cars, you’ll hear more and more complaints from gearheads who insist that they love driving. What these folks mean, of course, is they love driving, not commuting. There is a difference. They have a few key allies who envision a future where you put the pedal to the metal on the open road, but the robot handles the slog to work. Lamborghini (and its parent, Audi), for example, believe automated tech will help you push your limits and experience more of what a car can do. You’d expect that from a company like Lamborghini. You would not expect it from a company like Toyota, which is known for the most utilitarian and appliance-like vehicle ever, the Prius. But the company wants to make sure future generations experience the joy of driving.

Toyota’s new concept car has a mind of its own. Just unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the gloss white, four seat, bluntly ovoid, fractally embellished, occasionally autonomous pod, known as the Concept-i, comes equipped with an artificially intelligent user experience interface known as Yui that will apparently get to know you, your emotions, and your preferences, and react accordingly. Read more