Roborace “Shows” Will Take Place In The 2016/17 Formula E Season

Roborace is a vehicle that is designed to race on a track without an on-board driver. It will race autonomously without, presumably, human intervention because it will control itself. Image Credit: Daniel Simon Formula E 

Roborace “Shows” Will Take Place In The 2016/17 Formula E Season

The prototype Roborace car was revealed today, March 30, 2016, at the beginning of the Faraday Future Long Beach ePrix week.

The first designs of the Roborace autonomous race car is an amazing futuristic creation that is unlike anything ever seen on a race track before.

The design is the work of the newly-appointed Chief Design Officer Daniel Simon. Simon, who is renowned for his work on Hollywood Sci-Fi blockbusters such as Tron: Legacy and Oblivion, set out to create something that took full advantage of being the first-ever racing car that doesn’t need to accommodate a driver.

“My goal was to create a vehicle that takes full advantage of the unusual opportunities of having no driver without ever compromising on beauty,” Daniel Simon said. “Racing engineers and aerodynamicists have worked with me from the beginning to strike that balance. The Roborace is as much about competition as it is entertainment. Therefore – and quite unusual in today’s racing world – beauty was very high on our agenda and we work hard to merge the best performance with stunning styling."

“It was important to us that we generate substantial downforce without unnecessary parts cluttering the car to maintain a clean and iconic look. This is largely made possible by using the floor as the main aerodynamic device and we are currently developing active body parts that are more organic and seamless than solutions today.”

Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag said: "Today is an historic day for motorsport, and the car industry in general. This first image of the Robocar, designed by Daniel Simon, represents a vision of what cars will be, a vision of our future. In Formula E we are proud to promote, together with pioneers like Denis Sverdlov and Daniel Simon, a revolution in the world of motorsport, a project that will change the future of mobility."
[ht: FIA Formula E]

These are the crazy futuristic cars of Roborace, the world's first driverless racing series. One thing is for sure: whatever Roborace winds up becoming will be shaped by the logistical framework already put in place by Formula E. Roborace will be piggybacking on Formula E's infrastructure, performing on the same race days at the same locations. Image Credit: Daniel Simon Formula E

To be honest, without a driver being one with a car, what we will be treated to is seeing unique experimental performance art platforms that have little real consequence related to winning, placing, or just showing without some additional human element/interest that is placed at risk. Or, this could just creep people out.

Will this new competitive track form of competition require an introduction of gambling in order to gain "skin in the game?" Or will it just remain a rich and intriguing corporate international competition toy that is used as a motor culture side interest in performance and art to help fill the seats with people who come to see racers do what they do best ... RACE?!

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: FIA, Formula E, Roborace, Faraday Future Long Beach ePrix, Daniel Simon, Alejandro Agag, Race, Racing, The EDJE