The future is here! The fully autonomous electric car known as Robocar will be the first ever driverless car to run up the hill at Goodwood.
It seems that one won’t have to wait much for fully autonomous vehicles to become a normal scene. Many cars already have the technology to drive and park themselves, and the technology is becoming more advanced by the minute. While production cars might have some use for autonomous cars, it would be very interesting to see if driverless cars could get into motorsport.
It seems that a fully autonomous race car already exists, and it's been fully developed to enter into an official motorsport event specifically created for driverless cars. The autonomous motorsport championship racing series is called Roborace, and the car which will take part in it is called Robocar. The car has been designed by Daniel Simon, an automotive futurist who is best known for his work in Hollywood films such as Oblivion and Tron: Legacy, as well as designing the Hispania Racing Team's livery for the 2011 Formula 1 season.
However, before this new age motorsport begins, Roborace has decided so attempt the Goodwood Hill Run with one of their Robocars. The fully autonomous electric car will be the first ever driverless car to run up the hill at Goodwood. Robocar will attempt to climb the 1.16-mile (1.9km) course using only automated systems, sensors and 360-degree vision to navigate the hay bales, flint walls and forests of the Goodwood estate.
‘We are excited that the Duke of Richmond has invited us to make history at Goodwood as we attempt the first ever fully and truly autonomous uphill climb using only artificial intelligence,’ said Lucas di Grassi, CEO of Roborace.
‘I can't think of a more exciting way to celebrate our Silver Jubilee than to have Roborace attempt the first autonomous race car run up the hill,’ said Charles Gordon-Lennox, the Duke of Richmond and Founder of the Festival of Speed. ‘Roborace plays an important role in the future of mobility, challenging public perceptions and providing a platform to advance new technologies. This makes them the perfect partner to undertake this significant feat.’
The Robocar weighs 1,350kg and is powered by four 181bhp electric motors, providing all four wheels with around 500bhp. The car uses an Nvidia drive PX 2 computer to process data, which includes inputs from the LiDAR, radar, GPS, ultrasonic and camera sensors. This will truly be a sight to behold as history will be made at Goodwood.
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