Tandem Drifting Toyotas: Exploring How AI Can Assist Drivers on Slippery Roads

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) and Stanford are enhancing two Supras with AI technology to achieve autonomous tandem drifting, a move that prioritizes safety over mere style points. Avinash Balachandran, TRI’s VP of Human Interactive Driving, emphasizes that this achievement represents a "milestone" with significant implications for developing advanced safety systems in future passenger vehicles.

The tandem drifting showcases how the physics involved is akin to driving on ice or snow. Chris Gerdes, co-director of Stanford's Center for Automotive Research, notes that the AI can intervene precisely when a driver is at risk of losing control, similar to how expert drifters manage their vehicles. The system is capable of recalibrating responses up to 50 times per second, optimizing steering, throttle, and braking commands based on real-time conditions.

The modified GR Supras utilize AI that learns from each track session. TRI is responsible for the lead car's control systems, while Stanford's School of Engineering developed the AI models and algorithms for the chase car, ensuring it mimics the lead car without collision. The vehicles establish communication via Wi-Fi and have been fine-tuned by GReddy and Toyota Racing Development. Notably, this isn't Stanford's first foray into self-drifting technology; a group of researchers created a self-drifting DeLorean in 2015.

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