March 3, 2011 - 4:13pm
University Transportation Research Institute and Toyota team up to create safety research center in Ann Arbor
BY BETHANY BIRON
University officials announced the creation of the Collaborative Safety Research Center yesterday — an institute developed through a partnership between the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Toyota — according to a Jan. 10 University press release.
The center will be based out of the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor and is funded with $50 million provided by the Toyota Company.
Their initial focus is to develop new methods of car production that establishes increased safety features. Researchers plan to emphasize reduction of driver distractions and protection of children, teens and the elderly — demographics most susceptible to accidents, according to the press release.
Additionally, the center will analyze data regarding past accidents and human behavior in order to more efficiently develop air bag deployment systems.
Staffers at the center will consist of Toyota researchers and engineers from both North America and Japan, in addition to researchers from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute and UMTRI.
UMTRI Director Peter Sweatman said in the press release that the University has always been a frontrunner in automobile research, and the collaboration will only continue to strengthen their research initiatives.
"U-M is prominent in automotive safety research and injury prevention across UMTRI, the Medical School, the School of Public Health and the College of Engineering, and this Toyota initiative will bring new energy to our joint efforts," Sweatman said in the press release.
Chuck Gulash, senior executive engineer at the Toyota Technical Center, will be the director of the center, according to the press release. He said in the release that with the center, Toyota hopes to extend their mission to work with partners in North America to facilitate increased research and business opportunities.
"We have a long history of working closely with North American partners to achieve our safety objectives, and our new collaborative research initiative will build on this tradition," Gulash said in the press release.
