Future Off-Road Capable Toyota Vehicles Could Include a Small Drone

• Toyota requested approval from the FAA for a small drone that can be flown above and around their vehicles.

• This is meant to provide the driver better situational awareness without having to step out.

• Recent changes to U.S. Department of Transportation rules should make it easier to deploy drones.

Drivers of off-road capable Toyota vehicles could soon have the option to use a drone to gain better situational awareness on challenging terrain.

Indeed, the automaker filed documents with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding small drones that can be deployed around a vehicle.

According to the company, the use case of this technology would be to help drivers see obstacles in front of and around their vehicle without having to leave their seat, which is sometimes impossible to do anyway on tight off-road trails.

Toyota claims that most drone flights will occur close to the vehicle, but drivers will also be able to fly above the tree line to take pictures and videos, as well as to help navigate where visibility is reduced.

Such uses for small drones could become more common in the coming months since the United States Department of Transportation relaxed its rules to make it easier to fly drones outside of the operator’s line of sight.

This is meant to speed up the deployment of drones in commercial roles, such as for delivery services.

Toyota hasn’t commented on its potential application of the technology, and since the documents filed with the FAA are different from a patent application, we don’t have a detailed description of the system.

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There is also the question of what a Toyota drone might bring to the table that a regular small drone purchased from an electronics store can’t already do.

Nothing in its letter to the FAA confirms that Toyota will definitely equip its trucks and SUVs with a drone, so nothing may come of this. `

Nevertheless, we will be following this story for any additional details that might give a better idea of what the automaker has in mind regarding this idea.

Source: Automotive News