Andy_Bangle Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Roborace, the first racing series to feature driver-less cars, has unveiled the first images of its concept racing car. The series, which will act as a support category to Formula zzzzzz oh sorry E, plans to field all-electric, driver-less cars during the 2016/2017 season. Roborace will include 10 teams running two cars each, with one-hour long races during each Formula E ePrix. Instead of drivers controlling the cars, the vehicle movement around the track will be completely autonomous via algorithms programmed by engineers. The series has also announced Daniel Simon as its chief design officer. Blah, Blah, Blah ... Boring shite ... German native Simon, a concept designer, is best known for having designed the futuristic cars used in the movie Tron: Legacy and Oblivion. He also designed the livery for the 2011 HRT Formula 1 car. "We're living in a time where the once separated worlds of the automobile and artificial intelligence collide with unstoppable force," he said. "It's fantastic to be part of this journey; it triggers all my big passions – motor racing, design and advanced technologies. "My goal was to create a vehicle that takes full advantage of the unusual opportunities of having no driver without ever compromising on beauty. Racing engineers and aerodynamicists have worked with me from the beginning to strike that balance." He added: "It was important to us that we generate substantial downforce without unnecessary parts cluttering the car to maintain a clean and iconic look. This is largely made possible by using the floor as the main aerodynamic device and we are currently developing active body parts that are more organic and seamless than solutions today. More boring marketing drivel ... "I am excited to be part of the daring team of people who are making this happen." All teams competing in the series will have identical cars and will only be able to modify its software, but no physical aspects of the machine. Roborace will also allow one crowd-sourced team to enter the series. "We are honoured to have Daniel working with us on this project as Chief Design Officer," said Roborace CEO Denis Sverdlov. "His passion and experience are undeniable and I believe it's already set to be one of the most iconic vehicles in automotive history. "We nicknamed the competition the 'global championships of intelligence' as an open challenge to the worlds smartest minds, so its only fitting that the car should be one of the smartest ever to be made, thanks to Daniel it may also be the most beautiful car ever to touch a road surface. "Its gaming, motorsport, technology and entertainment all rolled into one. I passionately believe that the future of cars is about software; driver-less, electric and connected and Roborace will help to make that a reality." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 WTF is the point in that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Who needs racing drivers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torino101 Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 I like the sound of that, can't be any duller than Formula E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 can't be any duller than Formula E I wouldn't bet on it! If you take the human element away, what are you left with? A procession of identical cars all driving at exactly the same speed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 If you take the human element away, what are you left with? A procession of identical cars all driving at exactly the same speed? Precisely. The excitement of racing is that a driver might suddenly either cock it up or display a bit of brilliance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuprabob Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 What the engineers could do it program the cars with specific driver traits to make it more interesting. I'm sure Pastor could do some consultancy work:-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calm Chris Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 I'd sit in a tower with my RC robocar controller unit and bump all the other cars into submission. Exactly the same as Patiently does every other weekend in the summer, well almost, aside the robocar and the RC unit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 What the engineers could do it program the cars with specific driver traits to make it more interesting. I'm sure Pastor could do some consultancy work:-) "I know what we'll do, we'll programme ours to be ever so slightly slower, and make the occasional mistake" said no team ever! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torino101 Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Just add weapons...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Just add weapons...... Yup, we need power ups. Frickin' laser beams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 What could possibly go wrong? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-bmw Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Precisely. The excitement of racing is that a driver might suddenly either cock it up or display a bit of brilliance. You should know after all! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdiesel Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 1. This is not a replacement for any existing motorsport. 2. Engineers will have scope to develop control strategies that will give their car a performance advantage. 3. It is technology that will be part of our lives in the coming years. So why be critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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