Gallery: Stanford's Self-Driving DeLorean Drifts, Does Killer Donuts
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Stanford researchers have rigged an old DeLorean to drive itself—and drift.
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At this point, the DeLorean can do “fairly perfect” drifts in circles around a cone, says Jon Goh, a PhD student who’s led the project.
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The longterm goal of the research is to make a car that can handle all kinds of extreme situations, even if that means drifting to avoid an obstacle, or recovering after hitting black ice.
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The team is part of Stanford's car-focused Revs Center.
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The researchers started working on this project in May 2013, when they bought a decent condition DeLorean for $22,000 from a guy in Sausalito who was using it as a daily driver.
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In a nod to *Back to the Future*, they called their DeLorean MARTY: the Multiple Actuator Research Test bed for Yaw control.
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The team had to make lots of upgrades to the 1980s car.
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They installed their own power steering motor, steer by wire system, and steering rack, allowing the wheels more freedom to turn.
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They upgraded the suspension with coil springs
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And they added a roll cage for safety and to add structural rigidity. Helmets are still a good idea.
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They partnered with Renovo to use the Silicon Valley electric car startup’s drivetrain platform: Each rear wheel gets a dedicated motor, so power can be sent exactly where it’s needed.
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Bridgestone is a project sponsor, so Stanford doesn’t have to dip into its endowment to pay for all the tires the car destroys.
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The DeLorean’s equipped with a GPS system to measure its position and inertial sensors to detect movement, but not radar or LIDaR sensors.
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So far, the car hasn't crashed, the team says. It’s tested on a skid pad, where it’s hard to cause damage.
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The car's software builds on Stanford’s voluminous research into autonomous driving.
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The team found inspiration in rally drivers, who commonly sacrifice stability for controllability.
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Most human drivers don’t know how to do that, but there’s no reason self-driving cars shouldn’t be able to make the same tradeoff if it’s the best way to get out of a dangerous spot.
