Roborace’s fully autonomous race car prepares to pound the track at FoS
In the future our sports events could be dominated by robot and drone warriors battling it out for supremacy, and at some point this could present companies with a new market opportunity.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2018) 'Roborace’s fully autonomous race car prepares to pound the track at FoS', 311 Institute, 11 July. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/roboraces-fully-autonomous-race-car-prepares-to-pound-the-track-at-fos/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Later this week, the world’s first autonomous race car company Roborace will make history by sending their fully electric, autonomous car which is also sponsored by Nvidia who are trying to push the sport, and their tech, to pound around the racetrack at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, and I'm going to be there on Friday to see it first hand.
Once there Roborace hopes the car will perform a lot better than just okay, and help to establish both the car and the brand as a for real racing series in the eyes of the assembled motoring elite.
The teaser trailer
“We are excited that Lord March has invited us to make history at Goodwood in this attempt to be the first to face the climb to the hill in a completely autonomous way, using exclusively artificial intelligence,” says Lucas di Grassi, the Formula E championship driver and ambitious CEO of Roborace.
The three day event will also let Roborace fans able to experience the Hillclimb from “inside” of the car by using Roborace’s Virtual Reality (VR) software, and experience that promises to get fans closer to the racing action than anything else before it. And who knows, perhaps one day you could be the one controlling it as it speed through S-curves on the track, all from the comfort of your own home.
As for the racing purists though there is an argument to be had that watching a finely tuned racing machine, albeit one of the world’s most advanced, calculate the perfect racing line and follow it around a circuit isn’t as exciting as watching a human driver push closer and closer to the edge trying to find that perfect line. However, that said, who knows, one day Roborace will spice the races up by racing their cars head to head with Yamaha’s autonomous MotoGP robot which has been built with the help of the world famous Valentino “The Doctor” Rossi, and which in the next couple of years could surpass even the famous Doctor on the track…
Racing purists look away now.
What this means for your organisation
Credibility is won in front of experts.
The attempt is meant to establish the car and the brand as a real racing series in the eyes of the assembled motoring elite. A demonstration to the right audience is worth more than a test. Leaders should choose where they prove a capability, not only whether they can.
The drama has to be designed.
Purists argue that watching a machine calculate and follow the perfect line is less exciting than a human driver pushing closer to the edge. Precision is the opposite of jeopardy. Entertainment leaders should ask where their product's tension comes from.
Viewers can be put inside.
Fans can experience the climb from inside the car using virtual reality, closer to the action than before, and could one day control it from home. Participation replaces spectating. Sponsors should value access that no physical seat can offer.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Where should we prove our capability, and to whom?
- Where does the tension in our product come from?
- Could we offer access no physical seat can match?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
In the future our sports events could be dominated by robot and drone warriors battling it out for supremacy, and at some point this could present companies with a new market opportunity.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Roborace roborace.com
- Goodwood Festival of Speed goodwood.com
- Lucas di Grassi fiaformulae.com
- Formula E fiaformulae.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 11 July 2018. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2018). Roborace’s fully autonomous race car prepares to pound the track at FoS. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/roboraces-fully-autonomous-race-car-prepares-to-pound-the-track-at-fos/
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