Toyota Boshoku has begun demonstration tests of the MOOX-RIDE content experience support system.
Mooks Ride provides various contents such as information on facilities and tourist spots around the route and advertisements based on the vehicle’s location and passenger attributes, thereby enhancing the enjoyment and comfort of travel. This system is designed for the future automated driving society, and by linking the system with the vehicle’s location information, it will make it possible to experience contents that can only be experienced by driving in that location.
In 2021, the system was installed in the automated driving vehicle “MOOX” at the Aichi Expo Memorial Park (Moricoro Park, Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture) for demonstration tests. In 2023, the system will be tested on public roads in the vicinity of Centrair, and other efforts are underway toward its practical application.
The new system is one step closer to practical application, and will be installed in the transportation vehicles operated by Hinomaru Limousine, which operates a hire car business, and NearMe, which operates a ridesharing service. The former targets “airport transfers for domestic and international VIPs for sightseeing and business purposes,” while the latter targets “ride-sharing airport transfers for overseas tourists and business travelers.
Prior to the test drive, a presentation was held attended by Katsuhito Yamauchi, Senior Manager, Future Business Promotion Group, Strategy Promotion Office, Corporate Planning Department, Toyota Boshoku; Koichiro Takahara, President and Representative Director, NearMe; and Kazuhiro Tomita, President and Representative Director, Hinomaru Limousine.
Mr. Yamauchi explained that Mooks Ride was started with the idea that, “Until now, transportation has been a means to reach a destination, but we want to make that transportation itself an event,” with the goal of providing “a new content experience that can only be felt by driving in that location.
For this purpose, the system estimates the vehicle’s location based on satellite data and vehicle acceleration, and obtains rough attributes such as passenger age, gender, and nationality from advance reservation information. By regularly communicating with the server and updating the information, the system provides content linked to the vehicle’s location and information that passengers may be interested in. Information is provided not only by simply displaying images on the screen, but also by guiding the passenger’s line of sight using stereophonic sound, overlaying information using AR technology through the side windows, and integrating and controlling stereophonic sound, seat vibration, lighting, and other functions.
Mr. Takahara of Niamey then explained that issues related to transportation, such as the shortage of drivers and the rapid increase in inbound travel, are becoming more serious, and that while one cab can only carry one group, a ride-sharing service can carry several groups, thus smoothing out the overall demand for transportation. In this context, he said, the introduction of the new vehicle will provide a comfortable travel experience.
Mr. Tomita of Hinomaru Limousine said that with the recent increase in inbound demand, hospitality to passengers has become a major issue. He said, “We hope that by using this kind of system in the car, people will be able to enjoy Japan even more by encountering a wide range of information, information that they may not have known about themselves.
© Source travel watch
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