Whether or not you’re a fan of the modern-day motorsport phenomenon known as drifting, the remarkable skills and driver ability simply cannot be denied. Interestingly, researchers have a hunch that the skills of these talented pilots, who run high-powered cars in tandem and separated by mere inches at high speeds, might translate to real-world commuter car safety. The Toyota Research Institute, alongside Stanford’s Dynamic Design Lab, are putting that notion to the test with the hopes of bringing their findings to the masses.
The focus of the collaboration is to harness the incredible skill and lightning-fast reflexes of a professional drifter and inject them into the burgeoning technology of vehicle automation. No, this isn’t like Toyota’s creepy basketball robot, this exercise is all about increasing safety for road-going vehicles, and builds on Stanford’s 2020 paper titled “Opening New Dimensions: Vehicle Motion Planning and Control using Brakes while Drifting.”
Take into consideration the instincts that drift competitors develop over years of high-stress situations that constantly change, sometimes within a split second, and realize that knowledge could be invaluable on the road to avoid accidents. Precise, calculated movements and years of engaging in drift battles aren’t a reality for the average Joe, and that’s where the team’s active safety technology could give cars of the future a huge advantage in dire situations.
“The reality is that every driver has vulnerabilities, and to avoid a crash, drivers often need to make maneuvers that are beyond their abilities,” states Gill Pratt, TRI CEO and Chief Scientist at Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). “Through this project, TRI will learn from some of the most skilled drivers in the world to develop sophisticated control algorithms that amplify human driving abilities and keep people safe. This is the essence of the Toyota Guardian™ approach.”
If this sounds somewhat familiar, you might recall that back in 2015, Stanford unveiled an autonomous drifting DeLorean known as the Multiple Actuator Research Test bed for Yaw control, or “Marty,” for short. About a year ago, TRI began researching the technology as applied to a GR Supra, and more recently, they have some impressive results to share. In the video below, a modified Supra carries professional drift competitor Ken Gushi behind the wheel, but he’s completely hands off as the car puts together a perfect drift run based on what it learned by mimicking Gushi’s wheel skills.
The hope is that with further development, we’ll eventually see the fruits of their labor peppered into your standard street vehicle not only for Toyota, but other automakers as well.
It might sound outlandish when you only think about the fluid back and forth followed by a huge plumes of tire smoke, but if you can imagine the natural instincts of a dedicated drift driver applied at supercomputer speeds to avoid a potentially fatal accident, then you understand just how beneficial this program could prove to be.
Keyword: Toyota Teaches This Supra to Drift Itself in Order to Save Lives