Toyota is working with MIT and Stanford to develop autonomous cars

Toyota is getting serious about autonomous vehicles now, so serious that it’s now collaborating with MIT and Stanford to establish research centers for self-driving technology at each university. The $50 million that the Japanese automaker will be investing over the next five years will go towards developing technology that it hopes will make driving safer by using technology to help drivers overcome potential dangers on the road. 

Toyota on Friday announced a collaborative effort with MIT and Stanford that will see the Japanese automaker invest $50 million over the next five years to establish autonomous vehicle research centers at each university. The immediate goal is to make driving safer and reduce traffic casualties and in time, Toyota said, it hopes to improve the quality of life through enhanced mobility and robotics. Former DARPA program manager Dr. Gill Pratt has joined Toyota to oversee and accelerate activities at both research facilities. Toyota said Professor Daniela Rus will lead the MIT research center while Professor Fei-Fei Li will do the same at Stanford. Pratt told Fortune that Toyota is more interested in equipping human drivers with advanced technology to help deal with road hazards and dangerous weather conditions versus a company like Google that aims to completely remove humans from the equation.