Japan used the Tokyo Olympics to showcase its technological innovations. One of them is the autonomous car that amazes Olympic athletes.
A large number of athletes capture the experience of riding in a driverless car and post it on their social media. What kind of car?
The Tokyo Olympics were attended by 11,000 athletes and all lived in the Olympic Village. Of course, it would be a difficult task to transport them to get through the 44 -hectare athlete’s village.
For this reason, the committee deployed a fleet of driverless electric vehicles. Toyota's autonomous car is named e-Palette.
This cube -shaped electric autonomous vehicle was introduced for the first time at the Tokyo Motor Show 2019 held in Japan. It is 5,255 mm long, 2,065 mm wide and 2,760 mm high.
However, by Toyota, the vehicle was modified to meet the needs of the Olympic Village. It now has bigger doors so it’s faster and more accessible, even for athletes who will be competing in the Paralympics. So is its height, so that tall athletes can enter it comfortably.
"Olympic and Paralympic athletes work tirelessly to achieve the impossible. We want to provide them vehicles specifically designed and calibrated to meet their mobility needs during Tokyo 2020," said development leader Takahiro Muta.
Each unit can accommodate up to 20 people or 4 wheelchair users and 7 standing riders. Although it is autonomous, there are still security operators in it to make sure everything runs smoothly.
The E-Palette has a range of up to 150 kilometers and movement technology for smooth acceleration and braking. The vehicle is equipped with advanced sensors such as cameras and LiDAR that continuously monitor the resistance in a complete 360 -degree field of view all around. Thus, it can detect other cars and pedestrians in its vicinity and automatically perform braking.
Because of the ongoing pandemic, the e-Palette has anti-virus fabric and an inner surface to prevent contamination by new coronaviruses, as well as a hand grip that can be adjusted to fit the athlete’s height.
The floor and interior handles have been painted in different colors to improve visibility for the visually impaired.
Powered by a rechargeable battery, the Toyota e-Palette is programmed to only travel at a low speed of 19 km / h in the Olympic Village. The purpose is to ensure the safety of the athlete. The vehicle itself can reach a maximum acceleration of 32 km / h.
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