Science-fictionfans will likely befamiliar with the work ofDaniel Simon,
aGerman-bornvehicledesigner and futurist responsible for some of the
coolestmachinestoevergraceabigscreen.
Despite humble beginnings at the Volkswagen Group, he went on to
design the Light Cycles from Tron: Legacy, the awe-inspiring Bubbleship
from Tom Cruise’s epic Oblivion and various neo-Art Deco bad guy vehicles
thatfeatureintherecentCaptainAmericafranchise.
“Mygoalwastocreateavehiclethattakesfulladvantageoftheunusual
opportunities ofhaving no driver without ever compromising on beauty,”
he said of his Roborace creation. The result is a visually stunningconcept
that adds trulyinnovative features, such as an aerodynamicfloorthat
generates maximum downforce, to agenuinelyjaw-droppingcarbon fibre
shell. Almost asjaw-droppingas hisfantastical Cosmic Motors project.
Leon Poultneyisafreelance technology and motoring journalist.PHOTOS: ROBORACE/KINETIK, DANIEL SIMON
Amammothtask,then,toaskracefansto
swap their Ferrari baseball caps and Mercedes
jacketsfor Compaq, Hewlett-PackardandMicrosoft-
brandedgoodies...
“We already have some of the world’s biggest
brandswantingtoworkwithusbecause these cars
lookso cool,” Cookereplies withsome conviction.
“Eachcar will haveanameandbespokedesigns, so
these will become the personalities.
“Youcanimaginethemerchandising
possibilities. This sort ofthing is so tribaland
addictive, whichis greatfrom afanbasepoint of
view, and we can create far more than just clothing
and merchandise. I’m thinking video games,
movies, toys and more,” he adds.
There is still littleinformation surrounding the
exactscaleoftheRoboracemachines,whetherthey
will bethesizeoflarge remote-controlcars or more
likethedimensionsofaFormula1car,butwedo
knowfuturist andsci-fidesigner DanielSimon is
behind the sleek and suitably space-age shape.However,Kinetik,theUKinvestmentfirm
behind the championship,hasconfirmedthat
Nvidia willprovide the computerprocessing
power. The firm’s Drive PX 2 units (which are also
going into road-going robocars)perform up to 24
trillion operations a second, and all in a case the
sizeofalunchbox.
That’s the processing power of150 MacBookPros,
whichis enoughto incorporate inputfrom a vast
array ofsensors, including theradar, LIDAR,
camerasandGPSrequiredtokeepanautonomous
car on the road. Plus, it can handle deep-learning
abilitiesthatallowthemachinestoacquire
knowledgefromtheworldaround them so they
improve with every race.
That’s where the competitive element comes into
play: a team of topprogrammers, software and
computer engineers will betaskedwithdeciding
how these vehiclesbehave,bytackling real-time
algorithms to ensure the roboracers reach the
finishinglineinonepiece...hopefully.
“If teams want to be aggressive, they will be able
to programmme this into thesoftware,” explains
Cooke. “FFor example, Team A couldprogramme
their carssoitdoesn’t react to anything unless it
comes wiithin a millimetre ofits sensors. This car
would continue on aggressive lines and more than
likely craash at somepoint.
“Othercompetitors may want to programme in
some safeety margins to ensure thevehiclemakes it
aroundthhe course unharmed.Butall of the
overtakinngandaggressive manoeuvres will beupto
those inchcarge. We are simplytaking thedriver out
ofthecarandsittinghim orher on thesidelines. So
all of thatthighly competitive behaviour will still be
present,”headds.
Don’t exxpect theracestobeheldonatypicalloop
oftarmaceither, as Cookeclaims that theamountof
downforcceprovidedbytheheavilyaerodynamic
bodyworkkcouldsee thecarsdrive upside-down.
Speciallyyadaptedversions oftheFormulaEinner-
city circuits, suchas Buenos Aires or Mexico City,
could featurebespokeobstaclesandchallenges that
have rarelybeenseeninmotorsportbefore.
“You caanimaginewhatfilmcontentwill looklike
ifthese caarsloop throughtunnelsupside-down,”
he says. It creates something so much morehe says“
exciting than traditional motorsport. Itbecomes
pure entertainment.”
Thescale, speedandtruelevelofexcitement
offeredbytheRoborace series is yet tobe seen,
but thefact that we’ll be watching vehicles racing
eachother without adriver athelm is an
achievement in itself.
Allthat’sleft now isfor theprogrammers,
engineers andrace organisers to makeitareality.
No pressure, eh?