Roborace Is The Driverless Electric Racing Series No One Asked For
Remember Formula E? The all-electric single-seater championship that quietly burst onto the motorsport scene last year? Well, now it has announced a new support series featuring 20 identical cars, all of which will be driverless.
It will be a great way of developing autonomous and AI technology, there is no denying that, but will it really work as a motorsport series? Each race will last one hour, with 10 teams (each with two cars) competing on the same street tracks as Formula E.
Roborace is certainly an interesting concept and one that will generate a lot of attention ahead of its debut during the 2016-2017 Formula E season, but it will put viewers in an unusual position. Who do you support? There are no drivers to cheer on, no manufacturers fighting it out. Plus, how can you celebrate a result when there isn’t anyone driving the car? Podium ceremonies will be pretty quick…
AI and driverless technology is still very new and with not much time before the cars hit the track, it will likely be a problematic start. Perhaps the first corner will be chaos like on a racing game. What happens if they spin out or hit the wall? Maybe they will just drive into the barrier, with the throttle to the floor until the motor unit overheats, like in old F1 titles. Or worse, the cars might all drive in an overly cautious manner, making for a boring race. There are lots of potential issues.
Also, the logo is pretty scary, right?
The series also takes away a lot of what makes motorsport great - the talented drivers, wrestling the cars, the human mind at work and the race craft being shown. Watching driverless cars programmed to race around a track will be very different and doesn’t sound particularly fun, although proof will be in the pudding.
The novelty will probably wear off pretty quickly, too. So you’ve seen cars without a driver race a few times, then what? The use of real-time computing algorithms and AI technologies could either create the great racing we all pray for or something completely disastrous, dull and boring.
So, what do you think, are you excited for Roborace, or don’t care whatsoever? Let us know in the poll below!
Comments
I’d watch it, if drivers are allowed to screw around on the car.
This just sounds like a grown up version of kids racing those toy cars you pull back on the floor and let go. Ok so more advanced tech but there’s no risk, no bravery, just robots.
There’s PLENTY of risk and bravery—to the crowd standing around and hoping they don’t bug out!
I won’t watch any of this. Let’s make a rebellion against driverlessness.
Yeah we need to make this thing ridiculous, this can be the start of a future where no one will ever drive a car. We NEED TO STOP IT
How the safety car would look like, if they will have? Like Ultron or Chappie?
Easy answer
i also propose a new racing series. it involves drivers using cars with no driving aids at all. no TC, no ABS, no rev matching, nothing. just driver and car. if I want to watch computers driving cars I will just go on gran turismo and put the controller down so it starts playing video of a race full of AI drivers.
I couldn’t agree more. That’s what real racing is, just the driver and the car with no electronic interference whatsoever
NASCAR?
I’m all for it! Think about it, this will lead to more electric and no-driver-required cars, which means more petrol for is car guys!
I’d happily daily a Tesla and use autonomous mode on the highway and have my Subie for mountain runs
Oh, come on, it’s gonna be hilarious! Either VERY boring and will last two races or a complete clusterf*ck and will become new favorite sport!
So no crashes and fastest processing power wins race no im good
I think this article portrays a really closed minded attitude to this. It’s about the engineering ability of a team pushing them to the maximum. It’s not designed to replace regular racing so why is it such an issue? It’s basically watching highly advanced robots race.
Nobody understands the concept of a support series, or how racing has been largely engineering-centric, even in its early days.
Also, if you haven’t looked deeper into CT, a rather large portion of the population have an (IMO, ridiculously high) level of paranoia, if it isn’t just disdain, of any advancement of driverless technology, or driver interference period. But that’s just my take on it.
I remember watching a F1 documentary on Diacovery Channel in the early 2000s where a F1 expert said the tech was advanced enough to make driverless cars, but they didn’t, because noone would watch them. People want to cheer for people, they want emotions, drama, something they can relate to. F1 is already lacking that, and that’s why NASCAR is still popular with all the love story scandals. I don’t see F1 drivers cheating with the wives of other F1 drivers, let alone a robotized car.
On the side note, this is how the robots are going to war with humans. Because the humans will end up on the podium receiving the race prizes while the robot car has won them for the humans. Robots become jealous and aggressive towards humans and there you go. Now that’s something I would watch.