Testing self-driving software on public roads can be incredibly expensive, with the cost of the car, the hardware, the license, and insurance potentially reaching into the millions.
AImotive, a self-driving software developer, has found a unique way to cut the costs. Instead of spending all the money on the real thing, it simulates the experience using Project Cars, a 2015 motorsport video game developed by Slightly Mad Studios.
See Also: New York is the newest state to allow autonomous car tests
The self-driving software is imported into a race and the team changes the dynamics of the race frequently. The team can import obstacles, other cars, and people into the game, and teach the software how to interact with objects.
Better for simulation
It is not the first time self-driving software has been programmed through a simulation, rather than real-world testing, but it is the first use of a commercial video game.
Project Cars outperforms most of the commercial car simulators available today, making it a viable option for any software developer that wants to test the car. Slightly Mad Studios has also made the game more ‘sandbox’ than rivals Gran Turismo and Forza, allowing developers to run a wider variety of tests.
Slightly Mad Studios may look to reuse AImotive’s self-driving software for Project Cars 2, expected late 2017, as a way of simulating real-life driving conditions while players race.
The post AImotive games its Project Cars to test self-driving software appeared first on ReadWrite.
Read the full article here by ReadWriteWeb
No comments:
Post a Comment