Your next Toyota could remember exactly what caught your eye
A patent application reveals eye tracking, exterior cameras and even health-data scenarios that could turn a passing glance into a saved image.
Toyota has imagined a car that could literally follow the driver’s gaze and photograph whatever grabs their attention along the way. U.S. application US 2026/0261754 A1 was published on September 3, 2026, although the documents were filed on March 3, 2025. The applicants are Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America and Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha.
The idea sounds almost disarmingly simple. An interior camera tracks the position of the driver’s head or eyes, allowing the electronics to work out where the person is looking and select the corresponding exterior camera. The shot could be triggered by voice command or a button. Examples in the application include photographing a specific billboard and automatically saving classic cars encountered on the road.
Toyota does not stop at taking a single picture. The images could be sent to a smartphone, while several cameras could capture the same object from different angles. The system could then use those images to search the internet for information such as the product, manufacturer, price and availability. Personalization based on device data and previously identified user interests is also described.
Then the filing gets even more unusual. The published claims explicitly contemplate obtaining health-related information about the driver. If walking is recommended for that person, for example, the car could use that information to look for suitable places along the route and create a map of areas with different pedestrian densities. In theory, the vehicle would not only remember what caught your eye, but could also suggest where to stop and take a walk.
There is one important caveat: this is a patent application, not an announcement of a production Toyota feature. The document names neither a specific model nor a timetable for possible deployment, so the unusual idea may never move beyond the paperwork.