Many modern vehicles have countless cameras all around them, able to stitch several angles together to simulate a top-down view from the outside. Toyota wants to take the idea one step further, using a drone to provide actual external views as you tackle the trails, according to Reuters.
This news comes from a filing with the Federal Aviation Administration supporting a proposal that would loosen restrictions around drone use, specifically the current requirement that drones must remain within the operator’s line of sight. While the FAA proposal mainly targets longer-distance capabilities for companies like Amazon and Walmart to make drone deliveries, Toyota intends to keep its drones mainly closer to home. From Reuters:
The Japanese automaker said in a filing with the Federal Aviation Administration that the potential system aims to boost situational awareness in places where it is unsafe to exit the vehicle.
“By providing the driver with views of the local environment, including potential hazards around and underneath the vehicle, drivers can plan safer routes and improve vehicle operations,” the Toyota letter said, saying most drone flights would occur close to the vehicle. “At times, operators may fly a drone above the treeline to capture videos used to orient themselves or capture the terrain.”
A combination of concepts
As usual, Toyota isn’t proposing gadgety gimmicks for the sake of razzle-dazzle, but using existing technology in new, practical ways. We’ve already seen deployable drones in concept cars like the Lexus LF-30 Electrified and Polestar O2, plus Hyundai built an Ioniq 9 that can launch a drone to reseed forests after a wildfire. Some YouTubers I watch, such as Vancity Vanlife and Matt’s Off Road Recovery, typically use drones to get awesome aerial footage, but I’ve also seen them use their drones to scout the general area to help them navigate, just as Toyota suggests.
While the idea is technologically possible right now, there are some regulatory hurdles to figure out first, and not just flying beyond line-of-sight. Since the intention is for the drone to help the driver see and navigate, it would likely be a highly automated system so the driver could focus on driving. Would someone in the car need to have a recreational drone license, or would this be Toyota’s responsibility? Would the automated drone be programmed to comply with applicable laws, or would the driver be liable for violations or property damage while relying on the drone to take care of itself? These questions are not specific to Toyota, as they need to be worked out for any company wishing to fly autonomous drones.
Although Toyota is full of great ideas here, it has no specific plans to follow through on such a system at this time. “Toyota is constantly working on new technologies in various fields, we do not have any product plans to announce at this time,” a spokesperson told Reuters. This gives the FAA and other companies wishing to use drone delivery time to work out the details before Toyota gives off-roaders an eye in the sky to help them navigate and capture that sweet aerial footage for social media.
