Gaming controller pilots Nissan GT-R
Nissan has created the ultimate remotecontrol car for gamers – the Nissan GT-R /C.
Celebrating the release of Gran Turismo Sport – and marking 20 years of Nissan involvement in the Gran Turismo gaming series – the one-off project car was extensively modified to be driven entirely by a DualShock4 controller.
Gran Turismo Sport will be released in the North America this week.
The GT-R /C was put through its paces by NISMO athlete and GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough around Silverstone's famous National Circuit.
Mardenborough controlled the GT-R /C from the cockpit of a helicopter. On Mardenborough's fastest lap (1:17:47), the GT-R /C averaged 76 mph/122 k\m/h and reached a top speed of 131 mph/211 km/h.
The GT-R /C was fitted with four robots that operate the steering, transmission, brakes and throttle. Six computers mounted in the rear of the car update the controls at up to 100 times a second.
The unmodified DualShock4 connects to a microcomputer that interprets the joystick and button signals and transmits them to the GT-R /C's onboard systems.
The wireless operation has a primary control range of one kilometer.
To help Mardenborough judge the vehicle's speed through the corners, a Racelogic VBOX Motorsport sensor was installed to relay speed data to a LCD display in the helicopter cockpit.
The GT-R /C is also fitted with two independent safety systems, operating on different radio frequencies, which allow two additional operators to apply full ABS braking and cut the engine in the event of the main operator losing control of the vehicle.