Sign up for our weekly emails to stay up to date on the latest news!
Toyota Research Institute (TRI) and Stanford Engineering have successfully demonstrated the world’s first fully autonomous tandem drift sequence, a significant milestone in driving research aimed at improving safety. This achievement showcases the potential of AI-powered technology in controlling vehicles dynamically at the extremes, with far-reaching implications for building advanced safety systems into future automobiles.
Key Highlights
- World’s first autonomous tandem drift sequence: Two cars drifting in tandem, simulating dynamic conditions where cars must respond quickly to other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.
- Improving driving safety: Research focuses on making driving safer by automating a motorsports maneuver called “drifting,” transferable to recovering from slides on snow or ice.
- AI-powered technology: Utilizes modern AI techniques, including a neural network tire model, to learn from experience and control vehicles dynamically.
- Real-world implications: Autonomy holds promise for assisting drivers to react correctly in sudden, dynamic situations, potentially reducing fatalities.
- Technical advancements: Experiments conducted at Thunderhill Raceway Park using modified GR Supras, with algorithms developed at TRI and Stanford Engineering.
Achieving Autonomous Tandem Drifting
The teams have collaborated for nearly seven years to make driving safer. By adding a second car drifting in tandem, they have simulated dynamic conditions where cars must respond quickly to other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. Avinash Balachandran, vice president of TRI’s Human Interactive Driving division, noted, “Now, utilizing the latest tools in AI, we can drift two cars in tandem autonomously… This has far-reaching implications for building advanced safety systems into future automobiles.”
Technical Details
Experiments were conducted using two modified GR Supras, with algorithms developed at TRI and Stanford Engineering. The vehicles share a dedicated WiFi network, allowing them to communicate in real-time and continually plan their steering, throttle, and brake commands using Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC).
About Toyota Research Institute
Toyota Research Institute (TRI) conducts research to amplify human ability, focusing on making our lives safer and more sustainable. Established in 2016, TRI has offices in Los Altos, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit http://tri.global.
Sign up for our weekly emails to stay up to date on the latest news!
