Illustration: Toyota collaborates with WeatherNews in order to present accurate weather service in its cars. (Image via CarRoar)

Toyota's windshield wiper to improve rain forecast

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Business & Industry
Automotive & Equipment
Nov 03, 2019
1875
Japanese automotive company, Toyota Motor Corp., revealed a collaboration with its compatriot weather service, WeatherNews, to improve the accuracy of its rain forecast. The Japanese weather service is going to gather real-time data from Toyota’s windshield wipers’ movements using the internet of things (IoT).

In a “verification test” held on Friday in Aichi, Osaka, and Tokyo, the data from Toyota’s connected wipers are received by WeatherNews through the internet. Then, the data were crosschecked with the data collected from WeatherNews’ observatory networks in 13,000 locations. As a result, WeatherNews can produce around 180,000 accurate weather forecasts daily.

WeatherNews pointed out that the standard raincloud radar is unable to detect nor forecast rain at an altitude of 2km and below.

Toyota, on its official website, stated that it has done something the standard raincloud radar could not do. The wiper data are deemed more efficient because wipers automatically respond to the presence or absence of precipitation and their speeds follow the intensity of the precipitation.

Toyota did not specify the length of collaboration with WeatherNews, nor any information whether they would conduct the test in other areas.

For Toyota, the accurate, real-time weather forecast might ensure the safety of its customers during the rainy season. Should the terrain be impossible to drive on, the system will inform the driver.

The weather forecast has become one of the services developed by Toyota featured in its connected vehicles, starting with the launching of Crown and Corolla Sport in 2018. Looking ahead, Toyota aims for the nation-wide distribution of cars with IoT to cater to its passengers with accurate information of weather and other services in times of need.

Source: https://bit.ly/2oJ8MZN