#20-06 Roborace Robocar

Roborace Robocar

   Anyone who knows me these days also knows about my passion about the possible and seemingly inevitable dangers surrounding the advancements in Algorithmic Intelligence or AI (you can check out my AI blog at https://algorithmquentin.blogspot.com/2019/11/1-in-beginning.html). So I passed this casting in a store the other day. I was viewing the pegs and saw one of these hanging there with a new livery and I thought it was interesting. Then it would show up again and again on my peg hunting journeys.  I went home and rewatched the run at Goodwood festival of speed from last year. I had witnessed the inaugural run of this "car" even before getting into the AI issue. So I snatched the original release out of the collection and began writing.

      Since these cars have actually been replaced with a newer version, there is a shortage of information for the Hot Wheels designers to go off however, I think they nailed the look. I can’t even say how much I smile every time I see the name “ARRIVAL” and I am glad Hot Wheels got the rights to add that detail. Arrival is a software company that is competing in the Roborace but the name is very fitting. There are several wheel types that have shown up on the real car, but I think I like the trap5 best on the casting (trapezoid 5 is the name of the wheel type on the red version). 

         It is very strange to look at this casting and think that this is a modern interpretation of a race car. It looks simply alien and the looks of a design I would expect in the fantasy line of Hot Wheels. Once again, Hot wheels has captured a significant moment in automotive history with this casting. I know I will be trying to collect every release of this model. Maybe it will make the treasure hunt line later this year. If you are on the lookout for these, the castings shown are the only liveries as of this writing, the Black and yellow version is first release in 2019. The white and red is the re-color of the first release, late 2019. The Red and Blue version is early 2020 release. These are relatively easy to find; I don’t think many people know what this car is or even that it is a real car.

Much like the Tesla castings, this casting could attract newer Hot Wheels fans and a new meaning to Hot Wheels in the future. These do ok on the orange track, but loops and tight curves are problematic for this casting due to the low clearance and pointed nose. The body lines work ok with boosters though. Super-fast on the 6 lane drag strip set!

     I really enjoy when Hot Wheels takes a car from a specific moment in time and immortalizes the car in a version we can all look at and wonder over. That is the premise for this blog after all. Roborace car is a race only autonomous car with no human driver. The 2.0 version has a cockpit for a driver to share racing duties but the casting we are discussing is the earlier algorithm only version. DevBot 2.0 is the latest iteration and is being used in some truly interesting events.  It was announced that in 2019, 2 competing teams would take their place in the first race between Autonomous non piloted vehicles. Developers of Roborace algorithms also challenged Tesla to a race after Tesla bragged about the Model S setting an electric car track record at Laguna Seca – I could not find any conclusion to this challenge but the Roborace car has been tested at speeds of 190 mph and claims to be the fastest autonomous car. This is an European exclusive sport at the moment but there have been subtle hints at US events that seem to tie into the Formula E (clever) race schedules. the current teams are T.U.M - The University of Munich and Arrival.

I highly suggest taking some time to watch the youtube events and documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoTQlaoVuHg (6min long) 

It is very interesting and might make you think differently about AI.

I would like for this to gain some more interest so I can get updated information. Maybe this will show up later on in a follow up with my AI blog.

Happy Peg Hunting – the door to the matrix is waiting in the next aisle, answer the call and scan your Roborace Robocar in to get to the next level!

Thank you,

Collector Quentin

I own the actual diecast pictured in these posts. However, all packaging artwork, Mattel or Hot Wheels logos, paint descriptions and wheel descriptions in regard to the Hot Wheels versions are copyrights of the Mattel toy company.

Robocar and DevBot2.0 are copyrights of Roborace.

Check out more information at   https://roborace.com/

[2] Road car history and specs gathered from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roborace

Inaugural Goodwood run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtVbch-02Fs  (2min long)