NISSAN

NISSAN GT-R GUIDED BY REMOTE CONTROL IN SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT

Nissan from UK has created the ultimate in remote-controlled car - the Nissan GT-R / C. To commemorate the launch of the Gran Turismo Sport video game in Europe on October 18 and mark the 20th anniversary of Nissan's involvement with the Gran Turismo video game series, the supercar produced exclusively for the occasion received profound modifications so that it could be piloted only through a DualShock®4 gamepad.Just move a few millimeters on a joystick to release all the power of the GT-R. Controlled by remote control, the supercar is capable of reaching the maximum speed of 315 km / h, which was not limited to this project, without anyone needing to be behind the wheel.The GT-R / C ran on the famous Silverstone circuit under the command of NISMO pilot Jann Mardenborough, who piloted the GT-R / C from the cockpit of a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter.Mardenborough is one of the most awarded champions from GT Academy, Nissan's revolutionary program for driver discovery and development. Jann was chosen to be the first GT-R / C rider because of his unusual talent both in virtual Gran Turismo and in real sports car racing.

For more than 80 years, Nissan has brought ingenuity and innovation to sporting motorsport, combining technology and performance to keep it in the spotlight. Since 2008, Nissan has been providing amateur access to the unique career of professional drivers thanks to the GT Academy program.The GT-R / C was designed in the UK by JLB Design Ltd. The supercar is equipped with a 572 hp V6 R35 engine, the same that took Jann Mardenborough to victory at the GT Academy.On the fastest lap of Mardenborough (1:17:47), the GT-R / C averaged 122 km / h, reaching a top speed of 211 km / h - average 'piloted' speed on track 2, 6 km away, 134 km / h.The GT-R / C is equipped with four robots that control steering, transmission, brakes and acceleration. Six installed computers update the controls at a rate of up to 100 times per second. Such precision allows the steering wheel position to be measured in up to 65,000 different positions.The DualShock®4 gamepad, in its original configuration, was connected to a microcomputer, which interprets the joystick and button signals, transmitting them to the GT-R / C's embedded systems. The remote control has a range of up to 1 km away.A Racelogic VBOX Motorsport sensor was also installed so Mardenborough could assess the speed of the supercar in the corners by transmitting speed data to an LCD screen located in the helicopter's cockpit.

The GT-R / C is also equipped with two independent safety systems, which operate on different radio systems, allowing two additional operators to fully actuate the ABS brakes and cut off the engine power if the main operator loses control of the vehicle.JLB Design Ltd.'s James Brighton commented: "The GT-R / C represented some of the challenges our team never encountered, which forced us to implement entirely new engineering solutions. We had to make robots to control the vehicle efficiently in acceleration and deceleration situations, as well as in the curves where the car was subjected to high levels of G force, besides being able to maintain control in a realistic and safe way at any speed . We also had to ensure a robust connection between the car and the DualShock®4 at varying distances, with a minimum latency in the response times of the robot. ""It is great to be able to say that all these challenges have been overcome, but this was only possible thanks to the extraordinary competence of Jann, who dominated the vehicle's operation in record time, delivering impressive speeds with each lap."Jann Mardenborough commented that "it was an irrational, incredible and incomparable experience. The GT-R / C combined the best of two worlds for me - the virtual, the games, and the real, the sports car - in a way that I never thought possible. The response of the vehicle using the gamepad was much more intense than I expected. JLB Design did a fantastic job and everything went perfectly. "

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