Toyota is introducing a wearable robotic leg brace designed to help partially paralyzed people walk. The Welwalk WW-1000 system is made up of a motorized mechanical frame that fits on a person's leg from the knee down. The patients can practice walking wearing the robotic device on a special treadmill that can support their weight. Toyota Motor Corp. demonstrated the equipment for reporters at its Tokyo headquarters recently. One hundred such systems will be rented to medical facilities in Japan later this year, Toyota said.

Toyota Motor Corp. and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. are to cooperate on high-speed communication technology needed to commercialize "connected cars," sources close to the matter said Thursday. Toyota and NTT will jointly study the use of next-generation 5G technology to enable autonomous cars to gather various types of information on traffic conditions and exchange data between self-driving vehicles to ensure their smooth and safe operation. Toyota has already developed a communication system for cars which can be used to monitor traffic to avoid congested roads and help drivers navigate during natural disasters. The automaker has tied-up with KDDI Corp., a major Japanese mobile communication carrier, to develop a global platform for connected cars, aiming to equip all of its vehicles sold in Japan and the United States with a device to access the network by 2020. Honda Motor Co. and SoftBank Group Corp. are seeking to jointly develop an artificial intelligence-based system for cars that can interact with drivers.

Toyota Motor and Suzuki, citing the major changes faced by the global auto industry and the need to bundle industry-wide R&D resources, said they are exploring a business partnership. The two automakers provided little detail on the nature of their talks, but said in a press release that, next to traditional areas of R&D focus, it is increasingly important to work together with other companies on areas such as infrastructure development, as well as the establishment of new industrial standards. Toyota is the worlds biggest automotive group, with a presence in virtually all car segments. Suzuki is much smaller but has a strong position in small cars, especially in Japan and India. It has a dominant share of the rapidly expanding Indian market through a partnership with local producer Maruti.

In Southern California, near TFS U.S. headquarters, TIMS will support the development of telematics car insurance services for Toyota customers, as well as new experiences aimed at more fully satisfying customers by working in unison with dealers and distributors. TIMS will contribute to the development of insurance offerings that benefit consumers-including so-called'pay how you drive' insurance, which encourages safer driving. TIMS plans to conduct analysis of big data, and conduct relevant marketing and promotion of the new services to help offer broader insurance options to users. The aim of establishing the new company is to contribute-from the aspect of automobile insurance-to the achievement of Toyota's vision of a mobile society that is safe, secure and convenient. AD and TFS will invest in the new company through their own subsidiaries in the U.S., while investment on the part of TMC will come from Toyota Connected, Inc. (TC) established in the U.S. in January 2016.