It is a race of cars similar to those of Formula 1 but driven by a computer instead of a pilot. They have called this race the Indy Autonomous Challenge and it is about testing autonomous driving systems on the same type of car.
The vehicle is a Dallara IL-15 that looks like a small Formula 1 and is equipped with radars, sensors, cameras, GPS, etc ... and the participating teams must put the computer and control software.
The goal behind all of this is to demonstrate that autonomous cars can travel at high speeds and do so safely.
In the USA, 47% of people still think that autonomous cars are less safe than those driven by people, despite the tens of thousands of people who lose their lives each year.
If in these races an autonomous vehicle can circulate at high speeds and in extreme conditions safely, when moving at speeds of about 80 km / h. it is logical that it is much more secure.
The participants are generally non-professional teams, Universities, etc ... which at the end of the tests will make their programs available to those who wish, as an “open source”.
Although autonomous cars are still far from traveling on our roads, each day they are closer to circulating in our cities and tests are already being carried out in many of them.
It is a matter of a little more time.
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