Concept vehicles are really becoming a 'thing', aren't they? Well, they always have been a thing. Vehicles showcasing new technologies or designs (which may or may not go into actual production) will remain a concept. A cool concept at that. In today’s world I immediately think of concept cars as those futuristic driverless cars that are constantly news-worthy. Still, a lot of other radical engine and design ideas appear constantly, ranging from augmented display to vehicles being able to speak to its driver. I think the entire notion is to connect the vehicle to you as closely as possible. Is this creepy or is it just the future? Well one thing is for sure, Toyota's new prototype, the FV2, is definitely a concept car more than anything you would find yourself behind the wheel for practicality sake.

The Toyota FV2 has been called a car-bike hybrid, having three wheels and one seat. By reading voice and facial expressions, it is able to interpret human emotion and reaction while driving. It then adjusts the driving experience accordingly. The company unveiled the car last week at the Tokyo Motor Show, and it immediately struck the audience from an almost conceivable notion to pretty much unimaginable. No matter what reaction Toyota wants, the idea of an actual car being a co-pilot to the driver isn't natural. This is a fairytale car; an auto co-pilot, a friend that you drive who cares about you enough to have a physical connection to you. Sounds like a wacko-job automobile to me. It literally drives and steers by the driver's positioning. A quote from a Toyota press release states:

“Rather than using a steering wheel, the Toyota FV2 is operated by the driver shifting his or her body to intuitively move the vehicle forward and back, left and right. In addition, by using intelligent transport system technology to connect with other vehicles in the area of traffic infrastructure, the FV2 helps enable safe driving by providing a wide variety of safety information, including advance warnings about vehicles in blind spots at intersections.”

Funny enough, if the car determines the driver is producing the effects of road rage, it will turn the windshield to the color red in an effort to warn fellow drivers on the road. Am I alone wondering why anyone would want to warn other vehicles that you’re furious? For them to be afraid of you and to stay away? I am definitely not getting this. Furthermore, the windshield incorporates augmented reality to display information in front of your eyes; perhaps to warn the driver of a passerby in the middle of an intersection? Just guessing. Toyota says it should “enhance the driving experience by connecting physically and emotionally, making it more fun to drive the more its used”, and it does this by logging driving histories to adapt to the driver. I believe its perfectly okay to not understand the intentions of this concept car. After all, two hands have worked out fine so far. So, who the heck needs all this? Well, considering it will never see the light of well, the road, we can forget about even pondering that.