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Toyota Motor Corporation has announced an immediate halt to all of its e-Palette self-driving transportation pods operating at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. The decision comes on the heels of an accident that took place in the Paralympic Village yesterday, when a Toyota e-Palette collided with a visually impaired athlete, injuring them.

While Toyota remains a globally recognized automaker specializing in ICE and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, it has also been a prominent sponsor for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In 2015, the automaker signed an eight-year contract reportedly valued at around $1 billion.

With the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics announced for the company’s home country of Japan, Toyota used the events to showcase new technologies to the public. This included its LQ self-driving electric vehicle, although it remains a mere concept.

Following the introduction of the LQ EV, Toyota also announced it would implement up to 20 of its e-Palette self-driving pods to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

When the Tokyo Games-specific e-Palettes were unveiled in 2019, Toyota explained how the pods would autonomously transport athletes around the Olympic Village using low-speed SAE level 4 automated technology.

Yesterday, however, Toyota helped demonstrate that Level 4 self-driving technology may not quite be where it needs to be for human safety, especially for pedestrians.

A 2019 rendering of Toyota’s E-Palette designed for the 2020 Paralympic Games / Source: Toyota

Toyota halts all e-Palette pods at 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games

According to a report from Reuters, Toyota Motor Corporation has stopped the operations of all of its self-driving e-Palette pods at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

The decision comes one day after an e-Palette driving through the Paralympic village struck a pedestrian who happened to be a visually impaired athlete competing in the games on Saturday.

According to Toyota, the self-driving vehicle had stopped at a T-junction and was about to make a turn under manual control of the operator using a joystick. The vehicle then collided with the athlete going at a speed of around 1 or 2 km/hr.

Toyota Chief Executive Akio Toyoda apologized for the incident and spoke about the difficulties Toyota has faced during the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, trying to remain especially conscious of pedestrians with disabilities:

A vehicle is stronger than a person, so I was obviously worried about how they were. It shows that autonomous vehicles are not yet realistic for normal roads.

Toyoda said he offered to meet the injured athlete but was unable to do so. He stated that Paralympic officials had told him that the athlete remained conscious after the collision and was taken to the medical center at the athlete village for treatment. The athlete was also able to walk back to their residence.

Toyota said it was cooperating with a local police probe to determine the cause of the accident. The automaker also shared plans to also conduct its own investigation and work alongside the Olympic and Paralympic Committees in Tokyo to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

The 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games began this week and continue through September 5th, although athletes will have to find other ways around the village without Toyota’s e-Palettes.

You can view the full apology from Toyoda on behalf of Toyota below:

Electrek‘s take

Oh Toyota, you’ve outdone yourselves this time. We’ve already shared our thoughts on the automaker jamming its LQ EV concept down viewers’ throats during the Tokyo Olympics, despite the fact that the company doesn’t offer a single passenger BEV at the moment.

Now, this. Toyota’s self-driving electric pods were specifically designed to navigate the Olympic and Paralympic villages and accommodate those pedestrians with disabilities, but it, unfortunately, hit an athlete.

Right now, this doesn’t appear to be entirely the automaker’s fault, nor the fault of its Level 4 self-driving technology… according to Toyota. While the investigation is still underway, it appears that human error may have caused the actual collision with the athlete, as the operator apparently took over control to make the turn.

Regardless of whether human or machine is to blame, this is bad optics on top of bad timing for Toyota during the Paralympic Games of which it sponsors. Especially since the autonomous machine modified to support Paralympic athletes ended up injuring one instead.

It’s welcomed news to hear they are okay and hopefully still able to compete to their full ability this weekend.


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Burning Man: Dead body found ‘in a pool of blood’ at festival

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Burning Man: Dead body found 'in a pool of blood' at festival

A man has been found dead “in a pool of blood” at the Burning Man festival in Nevada, officials say.

The man’s body, described as a white adult, was found “lying on the ground” after 9pm on Saturday at the art and music festival in the Black Rock Desert, roughly 110 miles north of Reno, the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said.

They said he was discovered while the festival’s large wooden effigy of a man at the centre of the festival was engulfed in flames – a tradition during the annual event.

Officials said a festival goer flagged down a sheriff’s deputy and reported seeing “a male subject lying in a pool of blood”.

The sheriff’s office set up a perimeter at the scene and has been treating it as a homicide, interviewing several participants.

The body, which has not been identified, was taken to a medical examiner’s office, while the festival continues until 6pm local time on Monday (2am Tuesday UK time).

“Although this act appears to be a singular crime, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances,” the sheriff’s office said.

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Officials say the crime scene is being preserved, but that the case is a “complicated investigation” as the makeshift Black Rock City where the event is located will be gone by the middle of the week.

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Burning Man organisers said they were cooperating with law enforcement and asked participants not to interfere with their investigation.

“The safety and well-being of our community are paramount,” their statement said, adding that support services, including a crisis support team, were available and participants had access to free Wi-Fi if they need to communicate with loved ones.

Burning Man is a celebration of self-expression that culminates in the ceremonial burning of its towering 40ft effigy.

Its origins can be traced back to the incineration of an eight-foot wooden “man” on San Francisco’s Baker Beach in 1986, which eventually evolved into an annual gathering in the Black Rock Desert.

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Hollywood star Rupert Everett spotted working behind bar of village pub

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Hollywood star Rupert Everett spotted working behind bar of village pub

Hollywood star Rupert Everett has been working behind the bar of his village pub in a bid to keep the doors open.

Everett, known for his roles in Another Country and My Best Friend’s Wedding, has joined a roster of volunteers working to save The Swan, a local pub in Enford, Wiltshire, that is currently under threat of closure.

The pub is staffed by a rotation of 30 people after it was initially closed when the previous licensee left.

“There has been an amazing effort by our community to keep this pub open,” said the 66-year-old Shrek voice actor.

“Times are hard for rural pubs and this is the heart and hub of the village. I think that it is important to express my support. I have recently joined CAMRA – the Campaign for Real Ale – as I know that real ale is the lifeblood of pubs both locally and nationally.

“Our small local breweries need our help, cask ale must survive – it is almost a uniquely British tradition.”

Steve Stringer, secretary of the Salisbury and South Wiltshire branch of CAMRA and an Enford resident, told local media: “I am excited that Rupert has chosen to support the campaign.

“As a lover of cask ales, it is only natural that he wishes to join us and to see him behind the bar serving the locals, shows his solidarity with the community effort.”

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Coldplay reschedule Wembley Stadium shows over Tube strikes

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Coldplay reschedule Wembley Stadium shows over Tube strikes

Coldplay have rescheduled the final two dates of their 10-show run at Wembley Stadium because of strike action on the London Underground.

Rail, Maritime And Transport (RMT) union walkouts next Sunday and Monday make it impossible for fans to get to and from the venue safely, the band said in a statement.

The completion of their Wembley run will see Coldplay become the first act to play 10 dates at the national football stadium in the same year, knocking current joint record holders Taylor Swift and Take That from the top spot.

Both Swift and Take That have played eight Wembley shows in a single year.

Industrial action on the Tube will take place at different times from 5 September for seven days, impacting Coldplay’s gigs – which are part of the band’s eco-friendly Music Of The Spheres world tour – on 7 and 8 September.

A statement from the band posted on social media read: “We’re sorry to announce that, due to planned industrial action on the London Underground, we’ve been forced to reschedule our final two concerts of the current Wembley Stadium run.

“Without a Tube service, it’s impossible to get 82,000 people to the concert and home again safely, and therefore no event licence can be granted for the nights of 7th and 8th September.

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“To avoid cancelling the shows, our only option is to reschedule.”

They said the show on 7 September would move to 6 September and the show on 8 September would move to 12 September.

The band added: “We’re very sorry for the inevitable disappointment, frustration and inconvenience that this situation causes.”

Coldplay said tickets would remain valid for their rescheduled date, but any fans who are unable to attend their rescheduled show can get a full refund on their ticket from their point of purchase before noon on 2 September.

Returned tickets are to go on general sale at 11am on 3 September via Ticketmaster.

The band confirmed shows on 30 and 31 August, and 3 September and 4 September would go ahead as scheduled.

Some 10% of the band’s proceeds from the Wembley shows will be donated to the Music Venue Trust to help support grassroots UK venues and upcoming artists.

Fronted by Chris Martin, Coldplay formed in 1997, and have gone on to achieve two UK number one singles and 10 UK number one albums. They are best known for songs such as Yellow, Fix You, A Sky Full Of Stars and Viva La Vida.

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