Toyota started developing its own version of the self-driving car back in 2013, and now part of that research has resulted in the creation of what the company calls “Highway Teammate.”
The system is excellently defined by its oh-so Japanese name, so it basically takes over driving for you while you’re on a fast multi-lane road. As the excellent part-animated video shows, it can overtake for you as well as do the obvious car and obstacle recognition that most competitors have.
The video shows the system at work on the latest Lexus GS, but it won’t be made available to the public for another five years, in order to be fully tested and certified.
That will be tricky since it takes control of the throttle, brakes and steering away from the driver. They’ll have to make the means through which you override in case of an emergency really smart, otherwise it could turn into a bit of a legal nightmare.