Toyota Research Institute, Inc. announced on January 14 that it has begun research inspired by the technology of professional drift drivers. We aim to combine artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms with autonomous driving technology.
Toyota Research Institute collaborates with Stanford University’s Dynamic Design Lab. Engineers are researching how to combine the skills of professional drivers with autonomous driving skills. The goal is to develop a new level of active safety technology that will be widely disseminated so that it can be installed in Toyota and other automakers’ vehicles.
Road accidents kill about 40,000 people a year in the United States and about 1.25 million people worldwide each year. Toyota’s goal is to reduce that number to zero. Through this research, we aim to save lives from car accidents.
What if every driver had the instinctive reflexes of a professional drift driver AND the calculated foresight of a supercomputer to avoid car crashes? Learn how TRI is amplifying driver capabilities here https://t.co/BEYGDoEci5 #innovation #MachineLearning #Automated pic.twitter.com/9MFSdlJuZX
— Toyota Research Institute (TRI) (@ToyotaResearch) January 14, 2021
The Toyota Research Institute has long supported research at Stanford University’s Dynamic Design Lab. The current project is based on the Stanford University treatise “Opening New Dimensions: Vehicle Motion Planning and Control using Brakes while Drifting.” Stanford University’s experiments have created an autonomous driving architecture that can use braking, steering, and driving force to control a rear-wheel drive vehicle while drifting. The Toyota Research Institute is currently working on testing this autonomous driving architecture by incorporating it into the GR Supra.
Gill Pratt of Toyota Research Institute said, “All drivers are vulnerable and drivers need to go beyond their capabilities to avoid accidents. Through this project, the most in the world We will learn from skilled drivers and develop advanced control algorithms that amplify human driving ability and keep people safe. “
