Augmented reality windows being developed for Toyota

As a child sitting in the back of the family car, did you ever use your finger to doodle in the condensation on the inside of the windows? Well, a group of engineers and designers from Toyota Motor Europe's Kansei1 Design Division and the consultancy arm of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID) have taken car-window-doodling into the 21st Century. They've created a prototype system that could turn the side windows of Toyotas into touchscreen augmented reality devices, allowing passengers to interface with the passing scenery.

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An overview of automakers’ PLM systems

Automakers are changing their PLM systems. They are increasingly relying on Dassault’s Catia and Siemens’ NX for car development. But they are also implementing software from other providers.

At the same time, users of PLM software are calling for more open systems. ProSTEP iViP, a global consortium promoting open standards, recently proposed a "Codex of PLM Openness". Several automakers are participating in a ProSTEP working group to prepare this document.

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Porsche will take the lead in developing sports cars and big luxury sedans for Volkswagen group

After months of uncertainty, Porsche has been told by Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn that it will take the lead in developing sports cars and big luxury sedans for Volkswagen group. That was a blow to Audi, whose executives and engineers had strongly lobbied for those roles.

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Toyota: Computer-Addled Design?

Software-designed cars don't always behave as expected in the real world.

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New crash tests demonstrate the influence of vehicle size and weight on safety in crashes; results are relevant to fuel economy policies

Three front-to-front crash tests, each involving a microcar or minicar into a midsize model from the same manufacturer, show how extra vehicle size and weight enhance occupant protection in collisions. These Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests are about the physics of car crashes, which dictate that very small cars generally can't protect people in crashes as well as bigger, heavier models.

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Toyota Develops Worlds 1st Rear-seat Center Airbag

Toyota Motor Corporation announces it has developed a Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) rear-seat center airbag - the first in the world - to help reduce the severity of secondary injuries incurred by rear-seat passengers in a side-on collision.

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Toyota Motorsport Races Forward with Dassault Systиmes Solutions

Dassault Systиmes (DS) announced the extension of its Toyota Motorsport GmbH partnership to include realistic simulation for virtual car testing and a 3D real-time development hub with DS's end-to-end PLM solutions. Toyota Motorsport's Formula 1 team practices Toyota's Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement by always pushing the limits of technical innovation. This is where Dassault Systиmes plays a major role.

To further cut vehicle development time, Toyota Motorsport started using DS's realistic simulation products from SIMULIA for virtual testing. Toyota Motorsport's chassis department uses Abaqus FEA to do important structural calculations in the early stages of car development.

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