IT could change motor racing for ever — and mean the end of drivers.

    The organizers of the Robocar series, which will see AIs compete against each other, have revealed their prototype car.

    It has one major difference from final versions — a driver’s seat, which organizers say allows teams to “fully understand how the car thinks and feels on a racetrack alongside the comprehensive real-time data.”

    Known as DevBot, it has a cabin that can be driven by a human or a computer allowing teams to fully understand how the car thinks and feels on a racetrack alongside the comprehensive real-time data.

    However, it has the same drivetrain, sensors, computation systems and communication technology as the Robocar.

    The Roborace team has been secretly testing the Roborace hardware and software on airfields and racetracks.

    Most recently the DevBot drove itself around the famous Silverstone International Circuit in England.

    The DevBot is being used to perform trials similar to those in the Roborace and will allow teams to experiment before a pre-qualifying process determined by Roborace that begins next month.

    Later this year, they will begin competing against each other in cities around the world.

    The radical designs were created by newly appointed chief design officer Daniel Simon, who is renowned for his work on Hollywood Sci-Fi blockbusters such as “Tron: Legacy and Oblivion.”

    ”My goal was to create a vehicle that takes full advantage of the unusual opportunities of having no driver without ever compromising on beauty,” he said. “Racing engineers and aerodynamicists have worked with me from the beginning to strike that balance.”

    Ten teams, each with two driverless cars, will compete in one-hour races over the full championship season.

    All the teams will have the same cars, but will create their own real-time computing algorithms and AI technologies.

    “The Roborace is as much about competition as it is entertainment,” said Simon.

    “Therefore — and quite unusual in today’s racing world — beauty was very high on our agenda and we work hard to merge the best performance with stunning styling.

    “It was important to us that we generate substantial downforce without unnecessary parts cluttering the car to maintain a clean and iconic look. This is largely made possible by using the floor as the main aerodynamic device and we are currently developing active body parts that are more organic and seamless than solutions today.”(SD-Agencies)