Toyota turns to Sony for help with "intelligent" new vehicle

While it doesn't look like there will be AIBOs scampering around Toyota offices anytime soon, it appears that the company has in fact turned to Sony for some of their robotics-related expertise. According to the AP, the two companies will be working together to develop an "innovative, intelligent, single-seat vehicle" as part of a deal that stems from Toyota's acquisition of various Sony technology and patents earlier this year. Under the new partnership, seven Sony researchers have started to work temporarily in Toyota's robot research unit, helping Toyota make sense of the technology. While details on the vehicle itself are light, as the AP points out, Toyota's i-swing "personal mobility vehicle" does seem to meet the general description. In related news, Toyota also officially unveiled its TPR-Robina showroom guide robot today, which we're guessing has already given those visiting Sony researchers a suitably creepy welcoming.

[Yimmy @ Aug 27th 2007 4:39PM]

Oh god, here we go. I wonder how long until Sony announces their plan to put rootkits in your Toyota?

[Shane @ Aug 27th 2007 4:56PM]

Are you serious? I hope that was meant as a joke. As much as I think Sony is headed down the tubes as well, bear in mind that there are multiple divisions of Sony. This is part of what is killing them...

Sony/BMG music division is not even remotely related to Sony robotics or any other division of Sony (such as consumer electronics, professional electronics, etc).

Sony in general though is a shadow of what it once was in the days of the Walkman...

[gfar @ Aug 27th 2007 5:01PM]

Awesome, almost forgot about their infamous "copy protection".

[strider_mt2k @ Aug 27th 2007 5:02PM]

I hope you didn't bang your knee on something jerking it that fast and all, Shane.

I'm pretty sure (almost) everyone got the joke.

[Shane @ Aug 27th 2007 5:17PM]

I suspected it was a joke but with some of the comments you see on here you never know...The internets don't convey sarcasm very well...

[Mike @ Aug 27th 2007 6:17PM]

when in doubt... on the internet, assume sarcasm

[ethana2 @ Aug 27th 2007 8:25PM]

No really.

[ethana2 @ Aug 27th 2007 8:28PM]

No really.

[ethana2 @ Aug 27th 2007 8:31PM]

Wow. Nice bit of lag there, sorry for double post. I think what you mean is _engadget_ doesn't convey sarcasm very well. What I did was post "no, really" followed by the pseduo-html end sarcasm tag. But all carrot symbols just get wiped, so no use trying that here.

Again, an instance where I could really use post editing. Attention to detail, please engadget. This forum software configuration is a pain.

[Temple @ Aug 27th 2007 9:35PM]

What a old and lame comment. Any Jerry Meguire jokes you want to throw at us too as long as we're hitting these phenomena at the height of their popularity.

[strider_mt2k @ Aug 27th 2007 4:43PM]

Word is that some very industrious youngsters are already running emulation apps on the vehicle's firmware prototype.

Revisions follow.

[fuse @ Aug 28th 2007 8:19AM]

Intelligent, single-seat vehicle? Looks like someone in Japan already has some spy pix from the research lab:

http://robot.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/parts/image_for_link/16415-563-10-2.html

Probably won't get the same mileage as the Prius...

[jerrt @ Aug 27th 2007 4:46PM]

no, sony is suppose to work with honda. my plans for domination won't work with this union.... [back to the board...]

[ThePengwin @ Aug 27th 2007 6:59PM]

I guess V-Tec kicked in and sony couldn't keep up :D

[cc @ Aug 27th 2007 4:57PM]

Sony and Toyota already worked together on a sort of "Aibo-meets-Smart Car" type vehicle called the "Pod" at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show... just google "sony toyota pod". It had some crazy features like showing the driver it was annoyed when being driven aggressively...

[Yimmy @ Aug 27th 2007 5:10PM]

I was more or less joking about the fact that the big Sony name has been crapped on by some of their more questionable business practices. I am quite aware of the fact that Sony and their rootkits have nothing to do with Sony's Robotics department.

[Mike @ Aug 27th 2007 6:19PM]

you don't need to respond to stupid people who are too dumb to realize a joke

[Yimmy @ Aug 27th 2007 5:10PM]

I was more or less joking about the fact that the big Sony name has been crapped on by some of their more questionable business practices. I am quite aware of the fact that Sony and their rootkits have nothing to do with Sony's Robotics department.

[Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Aug 27th 2007 5:14PM]

Rootkit in the car's OS, fire catching batteries under the hood, ATARC car audio featuring Sony Urban Music, UMD video display, Spider-Man font on the side of the car, AC/DC plug for the Foreman grill

[Guthrie @ Aug 27th 2007 5:15PM]

One of my favorite and least favorite companies join forces. This will end either in greatness...or perhaps a farting sound.

[Jeff Stoelker @ Aug 27th 2007 5:20PM]

Sony???

Sony is garbage... Toyota will be like the Ford Pintos. The cars will blow up. Due to that they will have to recall all the cars.

[ethana2 @ Aug 27th 2007 8:33PM]

...and it'd be cheaper to detonate them and ship new ones than repair them ;)

[Mark @ Aug 27th 2007 5:32PM]

We already have computers, CD's, games and software coated with DRM, we don't need cars with it...

[McGinley @ Aug 27th 2007 6:22PM]

Whats DRM gonna do in a car?I mean,it does stand for digital rights management.

Wheres the connection?

[ethana2 @ Aug 27th 2007 8:34PM]

If you had bought a Lexmark printer recently, you'd know dang well what the connection is.

[gb @ Aug 27th 2007 5:32PM]

Noooooooooooooooooo!

[Nubaeus @ Aug 27th 2007 5:42PM]

Um...anyone remember the batteries sony's been putting out?

Exploding cars next???

[Mike @ Aug 27th 2007 6:21PM]

thats part of the plan, first install the drm...then the exploding battery. what do you get? a car that explodes when a burnt cd is inserted

[ethana2 @ Aug 27th 2007 8:36PM]

Yeah, but see, it's gotta wait 'till the whole family's in the car, to get rid of all those annoying plaintiffs...

[pscs @ Aug 28th 2007 3:03PM]

exploding cars sounds like a contract to hollywood, and top-selling cars for the terrorist car-bombers.

[Emceay @ Aug 27th 2007 6:18PM]

Proprietary vehicle parts AND robotic components! Flawless Victory.

[ethana2 @ Aug 27th 2007 8:39PM]

Man. Perhaps car manufacturers should be disallowed from making their own parts, and cell companies should be disallowed to use cdma...

I'm in favor of it. I've always wanted to build my own car... and my own laptop. Transparent modularity, FTW!!!

[Jason Brown @ Aug 27th 2007 7:32PM]

I have a simple question, and engadget(the idiots they are) should answer this since they started it. Why is it that Sony is getting the blunt of all the battery jokes, When every major electronic company has had some kind of battery/heating issue requiring rma/recall. why is it that microsoft and apple have not issued recalls for there own products? i do not own any of these companies products except for software and walkman phones(non-drm suckers). the xbox has more then enough issues to warrant recalls(dead babies) and there is enough documented proof of apple ipods and computer batteries exploding so where was any of their recalls? i think the majority of you talk out of your asses and i do not blame you for it as the shit writers here push you to regurgitate useless information. from my perspective I see a company who puts out product at their finished stages which will only require minimal updates like the ps3 and i see a company who jumps out and releases a product that goes through major cosmetic surgery every 3 months forcing their fanbois to spit up hundreds of dollars every time. who of these companies is supporting its customers more? does apple iphone come factory unlocked? did they not say that it would come out in europe with 3g? if you are an american and you bought a iphone you are the fucking idiot! apple just found another way to rip off even more people suckers. And its all because of these shit writers at engadget, i hope they got their cheques from apple!

[Matt @ Aug 27th 2007 7:40PM]

I hope it doesn't explode.

[StandardAI @ Aug 27th 2007 8:09PM]

Respect lost for toyota. I can see it now, exploding sony made hybrid batteries.

[Slvrgun @ Aug 28th 2007 12:42AM]

Blu-Ray navigation complete with a entire interstellar map of the Milky Way Galaxy.

[daddycool @ Aug 28th 2007 12:48PM]

Fuck Sony.

[Joey @ Aug 28th 2007 1:43PM]

I've lost all respect for this website and won't be back again.

It should be called Microgadget.