Toyota is just one of many automakers in the race to develop autonomous vehicles, and to support their advancements in autonomous tech, the company has just announced plans to begin using a new map generation system that will help them deliver the most up-to-date maps to drivers. Through the use of built-in tech already featured on most cars on the road today, the automaker believes they can make their map generation system a great success.
In the past, laser scanners have been added to specially developed vehicles in order to create maps of the nation's roadways, but due to the lack of frequent data collection, the maps are not constantly updated. Toyota hopes to change this by using GPS devices and on-board cameras already in use on several cars today to continuously collect data and provide real-time map updates. With some help from cloud-based technology, Toyota believes they can get a series of images from different cars on the go and combine the information to create accurate maps with only a 5-centimeter margin of error. With this technology, road hazards will also be reported in real time, which will benefit autonomous vehicles in the future.
As of now, Toyota has plans to begin testing the technology on expressways before eventually trying it out on side streets. It's too early to say just how well it will perform, but we expect it to greatly support the company's advancements in autonomous technology.
