Lexus IS 300h Becomes Rolling Artist | Edmunds.com

An error occurred while receiving the HTTP response to http://api.microsofttranslator.com/v1/Soap.svc. This could be due to the service endpoint binding not using the HTTP protocol. This could also be due to an HTTP request context being aborted by the server (possibly due to the service shutting down). See server logs for more details.
The request channel timed out while waiting for a reply after 00:00:59.6199783. Increase the timeout value passed to the call to Request or increase the SendTimeout value on the Binding. The time allotted to this operation may have been a portion of a longer timeout.
Lexus IS 300h Becomes Rolling Artist | Edmunds.com Edmunds.com Make Tell us what Make you're looking for. Model Oops! First tell us what Make you're interested in. Year Oops! First tell us what Make you're interested in. Car
Type Tell us what Type of Car you're interested in. SUV Sedan Truck Minivan Convertible Coupe Wagon Luxury Hybrid/Electric Crossover Hatchback Diesel Car
Research New Cars Car Finder Compare New Cars Find a Dealer Incentives & Rebates Calculators Used Cars Trade-In Value & Pricing Certified Cars Selling Tips Car Reviews Tips & Advice What's Hot Car Forums Log In All-New 2014 Toyota Corolla Close Toyota - Let's Go Places The All-New 2014 Toyota Corolla Elevated style that's tuned in to you. Explore Corolla on Edmunds.com Explore Corolla on Toyota.com Prototype shown with options. Production model may vary. ADVERTISEMENT EDM.PageValues.vehicle['snarcyMake'] = ''; EDM.PageValues.vehicle['snarcyModel'] = ''; EDM.PageValues.vehicle['snarcyYear'] = ''; EDM.PageValues.vehicle['snarcyCategory'] = ''; EDM.PageValues.vehicle['snarcyPs'] = ''; EDM.PageValues.vehicle['snarcyCpo'] = ''; EDM.PageValues.vehicle['snarcyStyleId'] = ''; EDM.qLoader.defer(902, function() { EDM.Nav.ClickPrimer.execute('edm_main_nav'); }); var popularMakeExclusions = ["Alfa Romeo", "Aston Martin", "Bentley", "Ferrari", "Fisker", "Lamborghini", "Lotus", "Maserati", "Maybach", "McLaren", "Rolls-Royce", "Saab"]; EDM.qLoader.defer(function() { EDM.Widget.Vehicle.SnarcyNavPrimer.execute('make_dd', 'model_dd', 'year_dd', {"excludePreProd":false, "popularMakeExclusions":popularMakeExclusions}); }, 901); EDM.qLoader.push('http://static.ed.edmunds-media.com/edmunds-webassets/1.49.84/wro/decorator-simple.js'); if (document.title != "Page Not Found") { EDM.qLoader.push('http://static.ed.edmunds-media.com/edmunds-webassets/1.49.84/wro/idm-fb.js'); } Home> Car News> Lexus IS 300h Becomes Rolling Artist You have saved this page | See all saved pages Lexus IS 300h Becomes Rolling ArtistPublished: 11/01/2013  - byPeter Gareffa, Correspondent

Email Print Save .fbmessageclass {padding: 5px;text-align: center;margin-top:10px; border: 1px solid #CAD4E8; background: #F2F6FA;}.closeBtnOff {background-image:url(https://s-static.ak.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v2/yp/r/kmtNADv7B1i.png);background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:0 -79px; width:9px; height:9px; display: inline-block; float:right;cursor: pointer;cursor: hand;}.closeBtnOn {background-image:url(https://s-static.ak.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v2/yp/r/kmtNADv7B1i.png);background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:1 -34px; width:16px; height:16px; display: inline-block; float:right;cursor: pointer;cursor: hand;}Log in now to share articles with your friends Art Is Motion Picture

A Lexus IS 300h paints portraits in the new Art Is Motion campaign. | November 01, 2013 | Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

View Full Screen 1 Photo

Just the Facts:Lexus Belgium has launched the Art Is Motion campaign, in which a one-off IS 300h hybrid can paint the driver's portrait.Sensors in the car monitor inputs like speed and acceleration, and a computer turns the data into "digital brush strokes."The Lexus IS 300h, even one that doesn't paint, is not currently available in the U.S.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Lexus Belgium has launched its new Art Is Motion campaign, in which drivers of a specially equipped IS 300h hybrid sedan can have their portrait painted by the car itself.

Always wanted to be an artist, but can't draw a straight line? Couldn't even manage to "Draw This Clown" for mail-order art classes? No worries. Thanks to Lexus, anyone who can drive a car can "paint" a self-portrait.

With Art Is Motion, created by the Happiness Brussels agency, the car does the hard part by measuring a person's driving style and turning it into what Lexus calls "digital brush strokes."

The resulting portrait is projected onto the in-car multimedia screen and constantly evolves as the car is driven. Eventually, the finished image is sent to a dedicated Web site where it can then be viewed publicly.

Currently, the Art Is Motion site features images of art collector Walter Vanhaerent, who served as the test subject for the project. Recordings of some of his trips are available there in two-minute video clips that show the portraits as they are being created.

The style of the painting comes from Spanish artist Sergio Albiac, known for his innovative blending of art and science. For example, he recently combined Hubble telescope images with user input from social media outlets to create more than 1,000 computer-generated "stardust portraits."

In the Art Is Motion project, the creative process begins with a digital photograph of the driver. As various sensors monitor such inputs as speed, acceleration and the balance of use between the hybrid's gas and electric power plants, an onboard computer converts the data into colors and shapes.

Lexus says that spirited driving results in lots of bold red hues and strong brush strokes, while cruising quietly in electric mode renders softer strokes in cool shades of blue.

Unfortunately, the IS 300h is currently only available in Europe and Japan, and Lexus has announced no plans to bring it to the U.S. in the immediate future. And since, at the moment, there is only a single Art Is Motion car, American Lexus fans who are also frustrated artists are out of luck on both counts.

Enthusiasts in Europe, however, can participate in an auction for the one-off portrait-painting hybrid on the Art Is Motion Web site.

As Vincent van Gogh once said: "Art, although produced by man's hands, is something not created by hands alone, but something which wells up from a deeper source out of our soul." Or, in this case, from an onboard computer algorithm.

Edmunds says: We're with Vinny on that soul thing.

View more Consumer Car News articles

Post a Comment

You must be signed in to post a comment.

Sign In To Comment

ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Cars ADVERTISEMENT New Car Reviews and Road Tests Marketplace

Get Pre-Approved for a Loan

Credit Problems?
We can help you get Financing!

Edmunds Community Edmunds Forums

Search Forums:

Join these discussions:

Select a Make Select a Model ADVERTISEMENT More on Edmunds 2013 New Car Buying GuidesCompare Popular VehiclesNew Car RatingsVote Now: Best Cars for Getting to (and Away From) Holiday GatheringsWhat's Hot PAGESETUP.addControl(function() { var h = document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0]; var s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; h.appendChild(s); }, 'low');