Scientists at the Toyota Research Institute have explained why they developed an autonomous driving system with a built-in drift mode. This complex was installed in the Supra rear-wheel drive coupe, as part of which it has been undergoing tests for several months.
The new autopilot was created in the Human Interactive Driving department (interactive driving with human participation). Division director Avinash Balachandran says expanding the field of autonomous driving to levels where tires lose traction will lead to the development of safer vehicles. That is, work in this direction has practical meaning.
For example, if an obstacle suddenly appeared in front of a car moving on autopilot on a slope, then the car “trained” in extreme automatic actions will be able to perform a sharp rearrangement maneuver. The acquisition of such outstanding driving skills by artificial intelligence will enhance active safety capabilities, a Toyota spokesman said.
The unmanned Supra was given a proper name "Keisuke" in honor of the character of one of the popular Initial D manga comics. The car is "trained" to perform automatic maneuvers even when the tire grip limit is exceeded, including in the drift zone. For this, among other things, the ABS was also reconfigured.
TRI installed a similar system in the Lexus LC coupe (it has its own name "Leya"). He is also being tested.
Toyota explained why they created an autopilot with drift mode
