Toyota is employing Artificial Intelligence tools to speed up and verify design and engineering of new models.
At some point in the development of every new vehicle, the designer’s original inspiration has to be adapted to accommodate the necessities of engineering – the practicalities of performance, safety and everyday usability.
Thanks to a new technique developed by Toyota Research Institute, designers may now integrate initial design sketches and engineering constraints into text-to-image generative artificial intelligence tools at an early stage in the creative process.
The new tool has the potential to reduce the number of iterations needed to reconcile design and engineering considerations. It could also help Toyota design electrified vehicles more quickly and efficiently.
For example, by gaining an early insight into how to reduce the drag generated by a new design, aerodynamics can be optimised – a key factor in maximising the driving range potential of battery electric vehicles.
Avinash Balachandran, Director of TRI’s Human Interactive Driving Division, whose team worked on the technology, said, “Generative AI tools are often used as an inspiration for designers, but they cannot handle the complex engineering and safety considerations that go into actual car design.
“Our new technique combines Toyota’s traditional engineering strengths with the state-of-the-art capabilities of modern generative AI.”
Earlier this week, Toyota suspended operations at all of its assembly plants in Japan due to a glitch in its production system.
The move has brought domestic production to a standstill as the malfunction meant the plants were not able to order components.