Roborace today announced a collaboration with Data:Lab Munich and Italdesign on a machine learning research and development project.

The partnership, which includes data science experts from all partners, is centred on fast and innovative implementation of high-performance machine learning algorithms from race cars to future mobility.

The partnership will utilise Roborace’s all-electric DevBot 2.0 vehicles, which can be driven by a human or artificial intelligence. Roborace will also be bringing its base Autonomous Driving System (ADS) software and technical expertise to the projects, which commence in late-May 2019.

The projects have been designed to push machine learning to the limits and transfer learnings to the development of innovative applications for all partners.

“It’s incredibly exciting to announce this collaborative project with two leading automotive research and design groups. It’s a perfect example of Roborace’s ‘Research to Road’ philosophy for the future of motorsport,” said Bryn Balcombe, Roborace’s Chief Strategy Officer. “Cutting edge research requires experimentation to push into the unknown or unexplored. Roborace’s closed course challenges push these limits, help uncover new approaches in Artificial Intelligence and robotics which will ultimately create safer roads.”

“Roborace vehicles provide us a highly dynamic and challenging environment for our machine learning development. The unique combination of machine learning and racing inspires us and allows us to rapidly test radical ideas,” added Dr. Marc Hilbert, Team Lead Engineering and Production Technologies, Data:Lab Munich.

“We are really happy to work on such a challenging and inspiring project aiming to explore future scenarios,” stated Ralph Schuenemann, Italdesign Head of Electrics/Electronics. “This is a unique chance for me and my project team to develop, test and finally show our machine learning capabilities by using the high dynamic base Roborace is providing. State of the art Sensor- and Hardware-Setup, compared with the different competencies of each of the partners, ensure the best results and allows to even try ideas nobody of us thought about so far.”

Roborace is also embarking on its first competitive season with multiple teams taking to the track in ‘Season Alpha’, which saw the first wheel-to-wheel racing by autonomous vehicles at its first race in Monteblanco, Spain.