Envisioning New Life-Creating a New World

Chief Scientist Tadao Saito, Ph. D Professer Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

Recent advances in automotive technology are supported by IT in many ways. Automotive IT is highly varied, but until recently it was limited to roads or confined in vehicles. Technologies have advanced further in recent years, and now road-to-vehicle and inter-vehicle wireless communications are used to enhance safety, comfort, and smooth traffic flows, raising interest around the world. IT itself is advancing rapidly, but further advances are essential for it to be used in automobiles. For example, improving the speed of bi-directional communications between vehicles moving at high speed and reducing the time from when the need to provide information arises until the completion of provision are the key to utilizing wireless communications technologies in automobiles. The effective use of IT in automotive environments requires a human interface that can grasp ever changing circumstances and the driver's intentions and provide information in a natural and unobtrusive manner. As IT plays more important roles in automobiles, it is essential to establish dependable software development technology as the key technology for vehicle IT. Toyota InfoTechnology Center Co., Ltd. strives to research and develop cutting-edge technologies that can change automobiles and lifestyles of the future. It is essential that we achieve agreement and cooperation with society as a whole to transform these technologies into societal systems. In this respect, we ask for your understanding and support.