Toyota and Stanford University unveiled a two-car autonomous drift

After seven years of research, TOYOTA Research Institute and engineering researchers at Stanford University announced a world first achievement in driving research: the autonomous drift of two cars working together in full coordination on a surface that simulates extreme weather conditions

The TOYOTA Research Institute (TRI), together with the Stanford University of Engineering, today announce a significant breakthrough in the worlds of autonomous driving with a successful experiment in the drifting of two parallel cars.

The experiment, based on artificial intelligence-based research, is designed to improve driving safety and is another significant step towards a future of exciting and, at the same time, safer driving for all of us.

Hands-free: After seven years of research, TOYOTA's research institute and engineering researchers at Stanford University announced a world-first achievement in driving research: the autonomous drift of two cars working together in full coordination.

As part of the groups' goal to make driving safer, the experiment simulated a race track where a "leading" car performs drifts of extreme changes of direction and the second vehicle, also autonomous, successfully responds to maneuvers without contact between the two vehicles. In addition, the groups simulated dynamic conditions in which cars must react quickly to other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists and saw that the cars responded successfully without injury.

"Our researchers have come together with one goal – to explore how driving can be made safer," said Avinash Balachandran, vice president of the Human Interactive Driving Division of the Toyota Global Research Institute (TRI). "Drifts are the most complex maneuver in the world of racing, and the success of the autonomous experiment means that we can control the cars dynamically even under extreme conditions of high speed. This has far-reaching consequences for building advanced safety systems in future vehicles."

"The physics of drifting is actually similar to what a car might experience on snow or ice," explains Chris Gardes, professor of mechanical engineering and co-director of Stanford's Center for Automotive Research (CARS). "What we learned from this autonomous drift project has already led to new techniques for the safe control of autonomous vehicles on ice."

According to the data of the World Health Organization, every year around 1.2 million people are killed in traffic accidents worldwide, and another 20 to 50 million are injured. Many of these cases result from loss of control of the vehicle in sudden dynamic situations. Autonomy has enormous promise to help drivers react appropriately.

"When our car begins to skid or skid out of control, we rely solely on our driving skills to avoid colliding with another vehicle, a tree or an obstacle. The average driver struggles to deal with these extreme circumstances, and a split second can be the difference between life and death," added Balatz. Andran. "This new technology can step in just in time to protect a driver and manage loss of control, just like an expert driver. If we can do that, just imagine what we can do to make cars safer."

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