An automobile known as “Robocar” completed the first ever self-driving race car hillclimb last Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENTA self-driving race car known as “Robocar,” completed the first ever driverless car race up a hill track last Thursday.
The 1.8 kilometre-course took place at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. The car, developed by Roborace, had no driver and navigated the course using only artificial intelligence. It is said to be the world’s first driverless electric race car.
The track was meant to challenge the car’s navigation with various obstacles like hay bales and flint walls. But at times throughout the race, the car’s GPS was not available because of a loss of signal.
Robocar does not have a seat for a driver. It relies on various radar, ultrasonic, and camera sensors for 360-degree vision.
The car delivers over 500 horsepower.
"We all believe that future of (the) automotive industry is going to be driverless, electric and connected, but we don't see anything like this in racing right now," Roborace CEO Denis Sverdlov told Associated Press.
He added, "racing is always the place where the technologies of the automotive industry is developing and tested and learning, so it's the place where we push the boundaries."