Toyota and Lexus turned up at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas with a weird-looking Lexus LS research car, demonstrating the ongoing efforts around automated vehicle safety technologies. It’s called the Integrated Safety Management Concept.

So despite what we were expecting to see – a fully autonomous Lexus –  these technologies are designed to enhance the skills of the driver. Toyota believes a more skillful driver is a safer driver. That said, they will not rule out the possibility of launching a fully autonomous car in the future.

This Safety Concept car uses a wide range of high-tech features, including GPS, stereo cameras, radar and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) laser tracking, to a. Try and prevent accidents from happening, b. If a collision is unavoidable, the Pre-Crash system prepares for it. Passive safety features then help the occupants of the vehicle survive, while the car gets busy with the rescue and response efforts.

The vehicle systems are capable of tasks such as scanning movement of objects around it, identifying a green light from a red light and measuring the trajectory of the vehicle on the road.

• A 360-degree LIDAR laser on the roof of the vehicle detects objects around the car up to about 70 meters.
• Three high definition color cameras detect objects about 150 meters away, including traffic light detection using the front camera and approaching vehicles using the side cameras.
• Radars on the front and sides of the vehicle measure the location and speed of objects to create a comprehensive field of vision at intersections.
• A distance measurement indicator located on a rear wheel measures travel distance and speed of the vehicle.
• An inertial measurements unit on the roof measures acceleration and angle changes to determine vehicle behavior.
• GPS antennas on the roof estimate angle and orientation even before the vehicle is in motion.