Global auto giant Toyota is set to open a new research facility in Ann Arbor, near the University of Michigan (U-M) campus, taking the number of its research centers to three in the US.
The company will fund research in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and materials science at the facility. It plans to open the center in June and hire 50 employees initially.
In January, Toyota opened two research facilities near the universities, which were located near the universities with which it has partnered.
While the Palo Alto facility is located near to AI partner Stanford University, the second center is located in Cambridge near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Toyota Research Institute (TRI) CEO Gill Pratt said: "Beyond the extraordinary work that U-M is doing broadly in advancing automotive safety research?and in autonomous driving, in particular?Toyota has deep roots in the Ann Arbor community.
"TRI was drawn to Ann Arbor because of the strength of the university; the utility of Mcity and the Mobility Transformation Center which we currently sponsor; the promise of the future American Center for Mobility at Willow Run; and the proximity to, and synergies with, our two well-established Toyota Technical Centers nearby."
Toyota plans to move about 15 employees who are currently working at its technical centers to the new research center in Ann Arbor.
U-M professors Ryan Eustice and Edwin Olson will join the research center as the area leads for mapping/localization and perception.
"Sensor hardware and algorithms are improving at a tremendous pace. TRI researchers will push the frontier even further, with the goal of providing safer vehicles and more helpful robots in the home", said Olson.
The three facilities will work on three different areas, with Ann Arbor's center primarily focusing on fully autonomous (chauffeured) driving.
The Palo Alto will work on "guardian angel" driving, while Cambridge research facility will majorly focus on simulation and deep learning.
