Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) won Prime Minister's Award in the 2025 National Invention Awards, organized by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation. This award recognizes the functional design that harmonizes the functional requirements and aesthetic elements of sensors necessary for achieving Level 4 autonomous driving of towing tractors (3TE25).
The autonomous towing tractor is a vehicle that tows containers containing luggage and cargo at airports and transports them unmanned. This vehicle is equipped with multiple sensors utilizing 3D LiDAR for obstacle detection, road surface pattern matching, GNSS, and other technologies to accurately recognize the surrounding environment and the position of the vehicle, ensuring safe and precise driving under various conditions. The design aims to combine these advanced technologies into a beautiful exterior, allowing not only workers but also airport visitors to feel a bright future.
TICO is working towards the practical application of autonomous towing tractors by 2025 to ensure the sustainable development of airport operations. T-Hive, as TICO’s software company, is involved in this project to deploy three of these autonomous towing tractors at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
Design Points:
- Sensors are integrated in the compact way to avoid the unstable impression caused by having a large volume of sensors at the front
- Protective features to reduce the risk of contact are incorporated while in harmony with the vehicle body line to foster a sense of overall design unity
- Under-the-floor layout that balances the detection performance and sensor protection with the impact on the appearance
Did you know?
3TE25 autonomous towing tractor also received a Top 100 Good Design Award in 2021.
The National Invention Awards aim to enhance scientific and technological advancement and industrial development by recognizing individuals who have completed original inventions, designs, or ideas. Among these, the Prime Minister's Award is the second-highest award after the Imperial Invention Award, and this is the first time TICO has received this award.
Awards and Awardees:
- Prime Minister's Award
- Hiroki Mori (Product Planning Department, Toyota L&F Company, Toyota Industries Corporation)
- Tadayuki Yakushi (Product Planning Department, Toyota L&F Company, Toyota Industries Corporation)
- Meritorious Invention Implementation Award
- Koichi Ito (President, Toyota Industries Corporation)
The Meritorious Invention Implementation Award is given to representatives of companies or organizations that have received special awards, such as the Prime Minister's Award.
Source: Toyota Industries Corporation