ANN ARBOR, MI - The Toyota Research Institute has provided a major boost to research focused on artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous driving at the University of Michigan, thanks to an initial $22 million commitment announced Wednesday, Aug. 10.

"Toyota has long enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the University of Michigan, and we are excited to expand our collective efforts to address complex mobility challenges through artificial intelligence," TRI CEO Gill Pratt said. "We look forward to collaborating with U-M's research faculty and students to develop new intelligent technologies that will help drivers travel more safely, securely and efficiently.

"We will also focus on expanding the benefit of mobility technology to in-home support of older persons and those with special needs."

Under the agreement, TRI will provide an initial $22 million over four years for research collaborations with U-M faculty in the areas of enhanced driving safety, partner robotics and indoor mobility, autonomous driving and student learning and diversity.

Recently, TRI announced the establishment of its new Ann Arbor research facility and the hiring of U-M robotics professors Ryan Eustice and Edwin Olson to support autonomous vehicle research. Both will retain U-M faculty positions part-time. TRI-ANN is the third TRI facility, joining TRI offices in Palo Alto, California, near Stanford and in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near MIT.

TRI was drawn to Ann Arbor because of the broad strengths of the university and the region, particularly in areas related to the emergence of high-level driver-assist systems, eventually leading to fully autonomous vehicles.

The partnership builds on Toyota's active presence in the Ann Arbor community. The two offices of the Toyota Technical Center have long worked with U-M on connected vehicles and safety research. Toyota is a founding partner of U-M's Mobility Transformation Center, an interdisciplinary public-private research and development initiative that is developing the foundation for a commercially viable ecosystem of connected and automated vehicles.

MTC operates Mcity, a 32-acre mini-city site on campus that allows researchers to test emerging vehicle technologies rapidly and rigorously in a safe, controlled environment.

In addition, Toyota's Collaborative Safety Research Center is a major sponsor of research at the U-M Transportation Research Institute focused on advanced safety technologies.

"Our labs at U-M push the envelope of what robots can sense and understand about the world, and TRI provides an opportunity to apply these discoveries into real-world products," said Eustice, associate professor at U-M.

The collaboration is an effort to leverage robotics to improve quality of life in a variety of ways, said Jack Hu, vice president for research at U-M.

"At U-M, we are working closely with partners in industry and government to drive a revolution in connected, automated, and autonomous vehicles that will dramatically enhance the safety and efficiency of moving people and goods," Hu said. "Our expanding partnership with Toyota will help accelerate progress toward that goal."