Toyota's latest electric LQ concept car satisfies the "human need to be engaged emotionally" with an on-board artificial intelligence agent named Yui.
The Toyota LQ is both fully electric and equipped with an SAE level four equivalent automated driving system, meaning no human intervention is needed to drive the vehicle.
Its main feature however is the on-board AI-powered, interactive agent, called Yui, which provides a personalised mobility experience by learning and responding to the driver's emotional and physical state.
According to Toyota, the LQ concept is based on the idea that "mobility goes beyond physical transportation to include the human need to be moved and engaged emotionally".

Yui can also select and play music based on the driving environment, and provide real-time information on topics of interest to the driver. Other personalised safety features include the LQ's smart seats, billed by Toyota as "a world first in seating technology".
Embedded with a series of inflatable "air bladders", the seats work with an in-seat air conditioning system to help keep the driver alert or relaxed depending on the situation.
When the system recognises that the driver is tired, it inflates the air bladder in the back of the seat to support an upright sitting posture, and directs cool air onto them.

When conditions, such as the car being in automated driving mode, allow the driver to relax, the air bladder gradually inflates and defla...