Self-driving Roborace ‘DevBot’ to make public test debut this week

Roborace’s ‘DevBot’ is a driverless, electric car designed to allow teams to develop their software and experience the hardware that will be used on the ‘Robocar’.

Following secret test runs on airfields and at Silverstone, where the car drove itself, DevBot will make its first public appearance at Donington on August 24th.

Unlike the Robocar, the DevBot has a cabin that can be driven by a human or a computer, allowing teams to fully understand how the car thinks and behaves on a racetrack alongside the comprehensive real-time data.

The DevBot is equipped with the same drivetrain, sensors, computation systems and communication technology as the Robocar, designed by Daniel Simon, which will be revealed later this year.

Watch the self-driving racecar at Silverstone...

DevBot features cockpit for humans

The DevBot is entirely custom-made, apart from a standardised safety-compliant racing cockpit for human drivers.

The development team claims unparalleled results in AI and Robotic car racing, and in just under nine months have delivered a fully-operational driverless, electric racing car.

The DevBot is being used to perform trials similar to those in Roborace, and will allow teams to experiment before a pre-qualifying process which begins next month.

A large number of technology, motorsport, automotive, research laboratories and university teams have applied to take part via roborace.com and will be given time to experience the car over the next six months before the Roborace begins in full.

The Roboraces will take place during the 2016/17 Formula E season on city tracks, and exhibitions off calendar worldwide with demonstrations from Roborace, starting in 2016.