{"id":32644,"date":"2024-05-01T09:46:26","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T13:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=32644"},"modified":"2024-05-01T09:46:26","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T13:46:26","slug":"robot-racers-debut-in-the-abu-dhabi-autonomous-racing-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/robot-racers-debut-in-the-abu-dhabi-autonomous-racing-league","title":{"rendered":"Robot racers debut in the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The autonomous vehicle revolution has hit some speed bumps here in the United States, but in other parts of the world it is accelerating at speeds over 180 mph.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/04\/30\/PDTN\/73519159007-abu-dhabi-autonomous-racing-league-8-teams.jpg?width=990&amp;height=661&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"586\" height=\"391\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_cap gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>Eight teams competed for the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League&#8217;s $2.25 million purse.<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_crd gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>JASON, A2RL<\/em><\/div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL for short) held its first fully autonomous race last weekend with eight entries \u2014 including Code19 Racing from Indianapolis \u2014 competing in front of 10,000 spectators packing the main grandstand at the Yas Marina Circuit. Based on race cars similar in construction to human-piloted Formula One and IndyCars, the A2RL cockpits were filled with massive computing power to hurtle them around the track while competing wheel-to-wheel with their competitors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The weekend even featured a head-to-headless competition between an A2RL racer and ex-Formula 1 driver Danill Kvyat to show off the technology\u2019s potential. Kvyat won one for the human race over AI \u2014 though by just 10 seconds after 45 minutes of racing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In addition to U.S.-based Code19 Racing, the main event featured entries from international teams based in the UAE, China, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Singapore and Switzerland vying for the $2.25 million purse. German Team TUM from the Technical University of Munich won the race over Italian team Unimore while Code19 failed to qualify for the final, four-car competition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cSo many firsts have been achieved here today. It\u2019s been an amazing start,\u201d said Code19 team principal Lawrence Walter even as his team struggled. His car qualified sixth, missing the cut after three rounds of single-car style qualifying.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Like autonomous driving on U.S. city streets, the A2RL race was not without hiccups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Autonomous race cars spun, veered into walls, rear-ended one another and stopped on track. The featured, eight-lap race began with two slow laps under a virtual safety flag to allow the cars to get their slick tires up to temperature.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/04\/30\/PDTN\/73519156007-abu-dhabi-autonomous-racing-league-frstraight.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"An autonomous race car hurtles down the Yas Marina Circuit's front straight at the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League before 10,000 spectators.\" width=\"497\" height=\"280\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_cap gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>An autonomous race car hurtles down the Yas Marina Circuit&#8217;s front straight at the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League before 10,000 spectators. A2RL<\/em><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The pole-winning, Polimove Italian team raced off to an early lead, then spun and stopped on track \u2014 triggering the other robots to file back into the pits. After another virtual safety car period, the TUM team passed the spinning Unimore car for the last-lap win.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In addition to wheel-to-wheel racing, A2RL sees the closed environment of a race track as a test bed for autonomous tech that avoids the hassles that have come with testing on, say, San Francisco city streets where General Motors Co.\u2019s self-driving Cruise service ran into issues last year. Indeed, the series advertises itself as a self-driving laboratory and a recruitment center for engineers.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\">\n<div class=\"label\" hidden=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"message\">\n<div class=\"title\">Get the\u00a0<span class=\"highlight\">Michigan Politics<\/span>\u00a0newsletter in your inbox.<\/div>\n<p class=\"description\">Washington and Lansing, red and blue, we&#8217;ve got your government covered.<\/p>\n<div class=\"frequency\">Delivery: Daily<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"input-container populated\">\n<p><input autocomplete=\"off\" name=\"email\" required=\"\" type=\"email\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"clickable\"><\/div>\n<p><label>Your Email<\/label><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"bar\">\n<div class=\"highlight\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-primary\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-secondary\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Indianapolis-based Code19, for example, partnered with students from the Detroit Boys and Girls Club in an international A2RL STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) contest in Abu Dhabi. The students traveled to the Mideast and raced a small, 1:8 scale, 60-mph RC car against other international youth teams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cWhat we want to do . . . is teach students what it means to code and what robotics can do,\u201d said Stephane Timpano, CEO of Aspire, which runs A2RL.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\">\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_cap gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/04\/30\/PDTN\/73519158007-abu-dhabi-autonomous-racing-league-winners.jpg?width=660&amp;height=440&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The team from the Technology University of Munich won the inaugural Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League.\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" \/><em>The team from the Technology University of Munich won the inaugural Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League. <\/em><em>A2RL<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The team from the Technology University of Munich won the inaugural Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League.\" data-c-credit=\"A2RL\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In addition to advancing AI technology, A2RL is also working to transform the racing fan experience. Some 600,000 viewers tuned in from around the world \u2014 some of them on Virtual Reality headsets where they could watch the race from the cockpit of the race car of their choosing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Autonomous racing is not without controversy and has been a hot topic among enthusiasts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">At the enthusiast magazine Road &amp; Track\u2019s 70<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary in New York in 2018, a panel of auto experts \u2014 including skilled driver and ex-General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz \u2014 talked about the future of autonomy. Lutz predicted a racing future that would be remote-control guided, virtual or autonomous (like the A2RL race).<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Lutz\u2019s predictions shocked fellow panelist Mario Andretti, one of the world\u2019s driving legends.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cBob, he&#8217;s very eloquent, and all he talked about in his spiel was about the coming of autonomous cars,\u201d recalled Andretti in a subsequent interview with Motor Trend. \u201cI got up. I said, &#8216;Who the hell invited this dude?&#8217; I said, &#8216;Do you know who you&#8217;re talking to? (Meaning a room full of enthusiasts).&#8217; I got a standing O.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/-mm-\/708331ab5adde255ebef31721845c2411ab57319\/c=0-22-2995-1714\/local\/-\/media\/2016\/05\/29\/DetroitNews\/DetroitNews\/636001432297295701-GettyImages-535351932.jpg?width=660&amp;height=373&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Driving legend Mario Andretti has famously resisted the idea of autonomous racing. Here he receives a kiss from Lady Gaga before the start of the 2016 Indy 500. (Credit: Michael Hickey, Getty Images)\" width=\"506\" height=\"286\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Driving legend Mario Andretti has famously resisted the idea of autonomous racing. Here he receives a kiss from Lady Gaga before the start of the 2016 Indy 500. (Credit: Michael Hickey, Getty Images)\" data-c-credit=\"Michael Hickey, Getty Images\">\n<p><em>Driving legend Mario Andretti has famously resisted the idea of autonomous racing. Here he receives a kiss from Lady Gaga before the start of the 2016 Indy 500. <\/em><em>(Credit: Michael Hickey, Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Today, Waymo driverless vehicles operate daily in Phoenix and San Francisco. There are multiple autonomous racing experiments as well. The Indy Autonomous Challenge, organized by Indiana\u2019s nonprofit Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, held its first competition between university teams in Las Vegas in January with open-wheel cars.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Teams in the lucrative A2RL series are based on a Dallara Super Formula SF23 chassis used in the Super Formula Championship \u2014 a Japan-based open-wheel series similar to IndyCar in the United States. The Dallaras are powered by 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engines making 550 horsepower operated by a six-speed gearbox.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The cars are stuffed with standard autonomous hardware, including three lidar, four radar units, GPS and seven cameras. Also standard is the onboard computer equipment: Neousys RGS-8805GC computer, Nvidia GPU, Intel Internet connection, and storage drives. It\u2019s the team\u2019s software coding that makes the difference between winner and also-ran, with AI making split-second computing decisions on when to steer, accelerate, shift and brake.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img gnt_em_img__inset\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/04\/30\/PDTN\/73519154007-abu-dhabi-autonomous-racing-league-code-19.jpg?width=300&amp;height=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The U.S.-based Code19 entry for the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"gnt_em_mo_cap gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>The U.S.-based Code19 entry for the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League. Code19 Racing<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The U.S.-based Code19 entry for the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League.\" data-c-credit=\"Code19 Racing\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cAll race cars in A2RL use a drive-by-wire system that replicates human inputs. This system employs actuators for the steering, braking and gear shifting, eliminating the need for a physical driver. These actuators are all controlled by the onboard computer,&#8221; said Tom McCarthy, executive director of Aspire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Next up? The series has committed to at least one race per year for four years. Any predictions of the end of human racing may be premature, however.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThe ultimate demise of the fighter pilot has been prophesied for decades, ever since my active-duty days in Marine aviation,\u201d said Lutz, a former fighter pilot, in a 2020 article for Road &amp; Track. \u201cWe fighter pilots always consoled ourselves with a notion that&#8217;s still true today: the human being is the most efficient and easily-programmable non-linear psychomotor machine ever devised.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The autonomous vehicle revolution has hit some speed bumps here in the United States, but in other parts of the world it is accelerating at speeds over 180 mph. Eight teams competed for the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League&#8217;s $2.25 million purse. JASON, A2RL The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL for short) held its [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32644"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32644"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32645,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32644\/revisions\/32645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}