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Mission-critical info for UST professionals
Platform
one
The team behind the Roborace electric
autonomous race has chosen the Pascal
processor from NVIDIA as the heart of
the system (writes Nick Flaherty).
All 20 cars for the ten teams in
the races will be identical, the only
difference between them being the
control algorithms running on the Pascal
processor. This is on the Drive PX2 board
developed by NVIDIA (see
UST
issue 6,
February/March 2016) which is also
being used by Volvo. NVIDIA launched
the first Pascal processors on high-end
graphics cards in May 2016.
The first version of the application
programming interface has already
been developed so that teams can start
developing their algorithms and use the
simulations to see how it works.
The processor has 150 billion
transistors and is built in a 16 nm silicon
process, and will combine data from
radar and Lidar sensors, 12 cameras,
GPS and high-definition mapping, as
well as deep learning algorithms to help
the cars improve their performance the
more they race.
“We are living in a time where the
once-separated worlds of the automobile
and artificial intelligence collide with
unstoppable force,” said Daniel Simon,
chief design officer at race organiser
Robocar. “My goal was to create a
vehicle that takes full advantage of the
unusual opportunities of having no driver
without ever compromising on beauty.
“Racing engineers and
aerodynamicists have worked with
me from the beginning to strike that
balance. The Roborace is as much
about competition as it is entertainment,
so it was important to us that we
generate substantial downforce without
unnecessary parts cluttering the car to
maintain a clean and iconic look. This is
made possible largely by using the floor
as the main aerodynamic device.”
Driverless car racing
June/July 2016 |
Unmanned Systems Technology
Pascal takes pole position
The only difference between the Roborace
competitors will be their control algorithms