Lotus and Rimac announce digital track day tutors
Want to improve your track-day lap times? If you’re a Lotus or Rimac customer then you’re in luck—both companies have announced hi-tech tutors to help you learn your lines.
A new Digital Instrument Pack from Lotus comes pre-loaded with data from 4127 race tracks around the world. It uses GPS to automatically recognize the circuit and then records driving data to allow drivers to review and perfect their performance. Users can also connect a camera to the system and can analyze their results on the six-inch TFT screen or download to a laptop for detailed scrutiny.
The Digital Instrument Pack can be fitted to any Lotus Elise or Exige V-6 built from 2008 and costs just $1800 plus fitting.
Meanwhile, Rimac plans to use artificial intelligence to school drivers of its C_Two. The 1914-hp electric hypercar will come with an AI Driver Coach which will actually talk to the driver to guide him or her around a circuit.
Founder Mate Rimac says: “The Driver Coach is an autonomous driving system intended for supercars and for race track use. You might have a supercar but not necessarily the skills to use it properly. It coaches you to be a better driver, when to brake, when to accelerate, when to turn in. So you have a personal coach which is learning all the time and can become as good as Formula 1 driver for example.”
Using an array of nine cameras, LIDAR, radar and ultrasonic sensors the system feeds six TB of data per hour into a supercomputer for number crunching. Algorithms, combined with real-driver testing experience will determine the perfect lap. The car could then drive this by itself to demonstrate and follow up by coaching the driver on braking, clipping points and acceleration using visual prompts on the head-up display and audible instructions.
You can watch the Driving Coach being tested using a Kia Stinger in the video below. It looks impressive, but would you trust AI to take the wheel at racetrack speed?
