These autonomous Toyota GR Supras can drift!

With these automated driving Toyota GR Supras, the Japanese manufacturer wants to prove that autonomous driving does not necessarily mean boredom… but rather safety.

This achievement is signed by Toyota Research Institute (TRI) and Stanford Engineering, and it is a world first in research on autonomous driving: Toyota has made two GR Supras drift in tandem, completely autonomously !

Two Toyota GR Supras drift autonomously

For nearly seven years, TRI teams, in collaboration with Stanford Engineering, have been conducting research aimed at make driving safer. The opportunity to carry out new experiences, in automating drift figuresa motorsport maneuver involving precise control of the direction of a vehicle after causing it to lose traction by sliding the rear wheels.
“Our researchers came together with one goal in mind: to make driving safer.”said Avinash Balachandran, Vice President of the Human Interactive Driving Division of the Toyota Research Institute: “Now, with the latest AI tools, we can make two cars drift in tandem autonomously. This is the most complex manoeuvre in motorsport, and reaching this milestone autonomously means we can control cars dynamically in extreme situations. This has far-reaching implications for implementing advanced safety systems in the cars of the future.

Research for security

Indeed, beyond the fun and spectacular aspect of the video below, this study conducted by engineers from TRI and Stanford Engineering aims to simulate a sliding maneuver following a loss of control on slippery groundon snow or ice for example. A second car drifting in tandem has been added in order to more accurately simulate dynamic conditions in which these cars must react to other vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists.
Toyota says car accidents cause about 1.35 million deaths worldwide each year, and most of these accidents are caused by loss of control of the vehicle in sudden situations. Autonomous driving technology is expected to help drivers react appropriately in this situation, by making the vehicle safe again on the road, like an expert drift driver.
The teams used modern techniques to create theartificial intelligence vehicles, including using a neural network tire model, which allowed them to gain driving experience, like an expert driver.

Both GR Supras are equipped withcomputers and many sensors allowing them to control their direction, acceleration and braking, while detecting their movements with their relative positions and predicted trajectories. A Wi-Fi network dedicated to allowing them to communicate in real time, to perform this tandem stunt in complete safety.