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Roborace proclaims itself as the world’s first AI driverless electric car racing series, a part of Formula E’s third season. It’s taken off at a time when the automation rage is at its peak.
The cars that will be used by teams will be identical, because design is not the focus to reach the finish line, it’s a “battle of algorithms”. In the series Inside Roborace, the camera will follow the crew across several major cities as they prepare for the race, beginning in Hong Kong.
The first episode begins with a typhoon warning being issued. The crew is scuttling about, checking the GPS signals and sensors on their Devbot, the slick autonomous race car that’s about to make its debut. The day before the anticipated demonstration, the car suffers a fateful battery failure and the crew goes into a frenzy trying to fix it. Meanwhile, they go ahead with a successful speed test.
Watching the driverless automobile zoom off and fade from view, the chief executive of Roborace describes the sight as “magic”. Despite this solace, the crew cancels the demonstration owing to safety concerns with the battery, making it clear to the viewer that their main objective is to “contribute to a safe driverless electric future”.
Less than five minutes in length, the episode documents the trials and tribulations of autonomous racing with candour, never sugar-coating any mechanical issues. A camera is mounted on the Devbot during all test runs, involving the viewer in the action. The crew explains the process in simple terms to allow the average viewer to keep up.
However, the show seems scant on technical details for automotive aficionados. It’s difficult to gauge from the first episode, but it remains to be seen whether car racing is as exciting without the personalities of the drivers.
Overall, the first episode leaves you intrigued about the fate of the Devbot and makes you want to tune in to see whether “Season 0” of the first ever driverless car race stays on track.
The first episode can be viewed on Roborace’s official YouTube channel.