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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A search reveals that robocar racing has been going on for several years, but it is under-publicized.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I attended the first big robocar race, the cross country event in 2004 in the Las Vegas area, in which all the AVs either crashed or otherwise failed. Five AVs eventually crossed the finish line, none in under 5 hours needed to collect the million bucks:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Grand_Challenge">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Grand_Challenge</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This video was made five years ago, a Georgia Tech experiment (cool!) They managed to teach this rig to drift and power-slide (they claim it taught itself to do that.) Take a look:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://youtu.be/1AR2-OHCxsQ">https://youtu.be/1AR2-OHCxsQ</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If we go with the downscaled cars, the tires can be changed with only hand tools, so it makes it practical for hobbyists of ordinary means to play the game.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I still have no idea what a Lidar system costs or if there is a cheaper way to do guidance if it is a closed flat track like the one in the video. It wouldn’t cost all that much to make a short dirt flat track. I bet if a prole were to find a place close to the Silly Clone Valley here where a lotta single geeky engineers have more money than they know what to do with, build a short dirt track and charge them a modest (well, ok outrageous) fee to race on it…<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>