Self driving race cars powered by Nvidia

[LeapFrogMasterRace]

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Organizers of the Formula E electric race series introduced the idea of Roborace last year. This field of self-driving cars will race against each other in conjunction with the Formula E electric races for its 2016-17 season. As with Formula E, the 10 competing Roborace teams will all use identical cars. Roborace chose to standardize on Nvidia's Drive PX 2 computer to process sensor inputs and control the cars' acceleration, braking and steering.

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The use of Nvidia's computers plays more as a public relations win than a financial opportunity for the California chipmaker. As each of the 10 teams will field two cars, Nvidia is only on the hook for 20 of its Drive PX 2 computer, although it will likely provide more for development purposes.

But as automakers field teams in Formula 1 and other racing series to gain public acclaim for building fast cars, Nvidia can point to Roborace as proof of the performance capabilities its self-driving hardware.

Concept car (I like to call it the penis racer ti)

 

The PX-2 "pascal" Chip that will be used but as many others have pointed out it looks a little to similar to Maxwell 

 

 Nvidia seems to have been really spreading out different types of products over the past years makes me wonder what is next

http://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/self-driving-race-car-series-to-use-nvidias-brains/
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/nvidia-talks-autonomous-racing-hd-225702310.html

[KingUnicorn]

Imagine a race like this. Like its only live streamed but has great commemtary.

"Car 15 has just performed a complex calculation! And wow! Pulling past car 2 with the results of a powerful conversion!"

I would love that.

 

Also nice car nickname. Quite fitting

[Notional]

The Greener Peener is preventing the Red Rocket from passing, using BlockWorks, part of their ShittyTacticsWorks. It's super effective.

[dragoon20005]

half of me say yay for self driving cars

 

but the other half of me says

 

RIP racing drivers and hello programmers

 

 

Red Bull X1 concept car looks cooler

[bcredeur97]

This is neat and all but sigh... I see a future of a lot of people sitting on their butts doing nothing, only jobs available are for computers and research..

 

People look at the future and think "wow thats so cool"

 

But if everything is automated then well, the world actually becomes quite boring. Life becomes non-adventurous, well except for video games, but if you played games a ton as a kid and are now an adult, the fun does indeed eventually wear off.. Lots of people told me this as a kid, i denied it everytime, now ever since I was 16 or so it just became harder to be the hardcore gamer that would spend hours at the computer like I used to be. things like VR are new and exciting but I can't help but think that eventually the same thing will happen there. Perhaps there will be something else by then to take it's place.

 

 I know we are probably hundreds of years before a truly autonomous world happens, if not a thousand or so. But still things like this sadden me, it's part of the reason why I don't like self-driving cars. I love driving, it's probably the best skill I ever learned or achieved. I won an autocross is flipping toyota corolla haha. Driving is adventurous, dangerous, yes, but I just look at it in a different way from most people. And honestly I believed if people truly cared about driving then the world would be a different place with many many less road-related deaths. 

Taking the driver out of motorsport will ruin the fun. It wont be "special" like it was, and still is. Comparing the skills of people doing something and the skills of two programmers is just 2 totally different things that the later shouldn't replace in my opinion. It's all fun and games to think about it, but later on is when you miss the old way and it never comes back.

[Serin]

23 minutes ago, bcredeur97 said:

snip

Depends on ones perspective. I'm excited for the coming generations because they'll get to dedicate their lives to something more meaningful than we will.
Once we hit 100% of basic needs/services automated people could pretty much dedicate their lives to anything they like. Science, exploration, art, philosophy... food!
Does anyone really think spending ones life working in say a call centre is a good use of a human life? Or stacking shelves at a store?
I don't. Certainly didn't when I did both of those things.

[RexinOridle]

Well, if you know how to program this, how to make model aircraft and buy a drive px, well, you can make an actual drone.

 

You are welcome.

[rhyseyness]

For all the people saying that racing drivers shouldn't be replaced, personally, I can't see that happening.

I think will just be another motor sport.

It will be different from F1, touring cars or super bikes, but I doubt it could ever replace them.

Racing drivers are a different breed imo, and are half the reason many people watch motor sport.

I don't see programmers replacing that.

The risk of crashes and explosions also factors into it, and with this (driver-less racing), I doubt there'll ever be crashes.

If there's no risk involved, then it's immediately completely different to conventional motor racing, and I think it's difficult to compare the two.

This isn't a replacement for conventional motor sport, merely another form of it.

[Thony]

7 hours ago, dragoon20005 said:

 

 

but the other half of me says

 

RIP racing drivers and hello programmers

They will not be physically presenting on the track but sowhere safe with HTC Vive on their heads lol

[Deli]

2 hours ago, rhyseyness said:

For all the people saying that racing drivers shouldn't be replaced, personally, I can't see that happening.

I think will just be another motor sport.

It will be different from F1, touring cars or super bikes, but I doubt it could ever replace them.

Racing drivers are a different breed imo, and are half the reason many people watch motor sport.

I don't see programmers replacing that.

The risk of crashes and explosions also factors into it, and with this (driver-less racing), I doubt there'll ever be crashes.

If there's no risk involved, then it's immediately completely different to conventional motor racing, and I think it's difficult to compare the two.

This isn't a replacement for conventional motor sport, merely another form of it.

Yeah, how do you market it without the human factor involved? Robot A vs Robot B, or Hamilton vs Vettel, which one people prefer?

 

AlphaGo vs AlphaGo, no, thank you.

[deviant88]

what the heck is the point of a self driving race car? its no longer a race if theres no pilot, the AI is just 0's and 1's, thats not a race.

[dmegatool]

When I first heard of the driverless races, I thought drivers were remotely controlling the car. Like removing the danger factor so they can take higher risks and all... 

 

Watching a bunch of computer doing calculations ? I don't see myself doing that. 

[Sauron]

It would be like watching an A.I. race in something like Dirt. Or any other racing game in the last 15 years.

[dragosudeki]

Imagine a whole bunch of self driving cars racing. Looking at back at DARPA robotics, I think most of the cars will just crash into each other or do other funny things. Will be exciting to see the crash and/or the race.

[danoedel97]

I see the way you guys are thinking, and agree it would suck to watch. Computers mostly calculate things flawlessly, making a race where human can't compete. And watching a bunch of robots drive around for hours would only be slightly more exciting than NASCAR....#shotsfired.

 

But what about the practical uses. Once you have a car that can go around the track faster than any human can, why not apply it for good. Make the safety car self driving. Imagine if in F1, some car is on fire, and you can get there 2 seconds faster than a human can thanks to this technology. 2 sec doesn't sound like much, but I'm sure that Niki Lauda or and F1 driver on fire will beg to differ. 

 

Another use that may be fun would be if you have a fully automated car, but lock it down to 90% power, and any human that beats it gets some sort of award. Sort of like a ghost on racing games. You can make it like the snitch in Harry Potter, where it is practically impossible to catch, but if you do, your team gets some points. or every person that finishes ahead of it gets double the points that race. 

 

[kuddlesworth9419]

I understand why self riving cars will be a thing but what will happen to those that actually enjoy driving. Will insurance premiums go up even higher?

[NuclearPeace]

12 hours ago, bcredeur97 said:

 I know we are probably hundreds of years before a truly autonomous world happens, if not a thousand or so. But still things like this sadden me, it's part of the reason why I don't like self-driving cars. I love driving, it's probably the best skill I ever learned or achieved. I won an autocross is flipping toyota corolla haha. Driving is adventurous, dangerous, yes, but I just look at it in a different way from most people. And honestly I believed if people truly cared about driving then the world would be a different place with many many less road-related deaths. 
 

 

That's the difference. You like to drive. The vast majority of people don't. For most commuters, driving is a tedious and mundane chore that they have to do every day to get to work.

[NateGSR117]

Cool and all but I like driving! The only time I will let it drive itself is when I need to take a nap . However, that thought alone will keep me awake.

[SansVarnic]

On 4/7/2016 at 9:31 PM, bcredeur97 said:

<snip>

Perhaps there will be something else by then to take it's place.

<snip>

Holodeck.....

[Dimas]

What the fun of that, the reason why at least I watch racing is because of the unpredictability of the drivers. In all races their human error involved, I'm not talking about a huge crash just to please an audience that likes to see the drivers get hurt. I'm talking about the human error of not braking soon enough not hitting the apex of the turn or downright pushing the car to the breaking point. I understand technology is making huge leaps in the robotics industry but racing? Come on! racing is already in the decline and has been for a while now, if you add self driving cars to it that are nearly perfect driving machines, that's it. The fun an excitement is over instead we will be rooting for the car who has the best launch control system that gets poll position. In my opinion it's extremely innovative but not for racing.