Cars & Concepts

Can racing put driverless technology on fast track?

Life-size slot cars? Kinetik's Roborace prototype car, foreground, and Stanford University's autonomous race car, nicknamed Shelley, are part of the driverless racing movement.
April 23, 2016 05:00 AM
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In Roborace, a proposed racing series for driverless cars, teams would compete based on software algorithms, not driving prowess. Affiliation: FIA Formula E Championship Prototype weight: 2,200 lbs. Planned top speed: 300 kph(186 mph) Sensors: Cameras, lidar, ultrasound, V2V\ Computer: Nvidia Drive PX 2 Seats: 0 Source: Roborace
Vincent LaurenseDoctoral student, Stanford University

"If it's a demonstration of great control, [racing] could be a good thing. If it's like bumper cars, I could see it being a negative."

OEM06_304259996_H2_-1_COYQPBMTTRHK.gif Roborace backer Denis Sverdlov: “Our heroes are not drivers. Our heroes are engineers.”

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Gentlemen, start your algorithms.

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