Driverless race cars are here

Get ready for "a new breed of motorsport," said Nick Summers at Engadget. The Robocar, unveiled at last month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is a fully electric, sensor-loaded self-driving race car that can top 200 mph.

It's the creation of London-based startup Roborace, which hopes to organize the world's first driverless racing series. The heroes of the contest will be the programmers, "concocting the smartest and most competitive AI drivers." Roborace hopes the event will generate technological advances that can be applied to road vehicles. If a driverless car can avoid other robots racing at 200 mph, the thinking goes, "it stands a pretty good chance on the streets." Robocar's "sleek, futuristic look" comes straight from Hollywood. Roborace's chief designer, Daniel Simon, has created vehicle concepts for science fiction movies like 2010's Tron: Legacy and 2012's Prometheus.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up