We love driving, and we love the 2021 Toyota GR Supra too. A video with both of those things is definitely a crowd pleaser, and that’s before I mention the best part: the car drove by itself.
Nor is it a prank. The Toyota Research Institute put together the trick to better connect the connection between sharp driving reflexes and autonomous systems. Or, as their website puts it:
‘The engineers are researching how the instincts of professional drivers and automated management technology can come together. Their goal is to design a new level of active safety technology and share it widely so that Toyota and other automakers can use it on the road. ”
And while it has been done for scientific purposes, it cannot be denied that it is utterly awesome. Watch the video to see a heavily modified Supra, complete with an ultra wide body and a large rear wing, pack a closed lane and immediately turn into a big smoke drift. Although there is a driver in the seat, the cameras in the car show the autonomous computers that operate the handbrake and steering wheel. Once things are really going, the driver even reaches out his hand at the window and offers a sign of peace to everyone watching.
Apart from the apparent fun factor, this robo-drift could quite possibly lead to better autonomous technology. It’s not hard to see how the razor-sharp instinct of drifters can be a valuable addition to any car that needs to avoid collisions or quickly change course. The reality of autonomous cars is approaching every year, so expect to see more videos like this in the not so distant future. And who knows, maybe an autonomous drive mode will soon be part of Toyota’s active safety package.
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