World’s first robot race held in Spain

The event took place at the Monteblanco Hippodrome. In this competition, regular drivers were replaced by racing cars with autonomous control systems.

The Monteblanco Hippodrome in Spain became the setting of a historic event: the world’s first robot race, with Team Arrival outperforming their rivals from the Technical University of Munich.

The participating 400-horsepower vehicles could reach a maximum speed of 230 km/h. Instead of drivers, the cars were operated by complex systems including several cameras and LIDAR, two radars, satellite navigation receivers, and speed and obstacle sensors. The cars used algorithms created by each individual team.

According to the rules of the race, overtaking was only permitted on the main straight section of the route, and the car in front was obligated to allow its competitor to overtake it. Although this race can be considered a historic event, given the participation of robots, it was rather boring and predictable to watch. The race was missing the competitive spirit and intrigue characteristic of regular races.