Toyota has teamed up with researchers at Stanford University to develop a pair of Supras capable of autonomously performing a drift together.
Seeing the cars in action is certainly cool, but the researchers’ goal is serious. They’re looking to develop automated driver-assistance features that can take action in extreme situations — something that could be a boon for next-generation stability control systems.
The California-based Toyota Research Institute has already demonstrated a 2022 Supra that could perform a drift autonomously. This capability could, in the future, help a vehicle maintain control during a skid on snow or ice.
Now, Toyota Research Institute has teamed up with Stanford Engineering to develop more advanced capabilities. The researchers have added a second Supra capable of drifting in tandem with a lead car. It is designed to dynamically adapt to the lead car’s movement so it can drift alongside without colliding, sometimes coming within inches of the lead car, as shown in the video.
This type of capability could allow a vehicle to respond quickly to avoid other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. A loss of control in such situations is one of the biggest causes of accidents, according to the researchers.
The test took place at Thunderhill Raceway Park in California and involved not just two cars with the same programming, although they shared a dedicated WiFi network that allowed them to communicate in real time by exchanging information such as their relative positions and planned trajectories.
The lead car was programmed by Toyota, while the chase car was programmed by the Stanford team. According to the researchers, the cars used AI, including a neural network that allowed it to learn from previous races, much like a human driver.
Could we see such a system in production? While Toyota is developing autonomous driving systems that eliminate the need for a driver, the company is also developing a system that could really appeal to enthusiasts. Known as GuardianIt lets you drive the car however you want, but if you run into trouble, for example by not responding in time to an object ahead or perhaps falling asleep at the wheel, the system can take over as needed. Toyota said the Guardian system would amplify driver skill, not replace it.