TORQ Self-driving Race Car: The Future of Mobility in the Digital Era

The ED Torq is a full electric, Self Driving Race Car (SDRC) with no windows, generating a completely new architecture in automobile history.
Why a Self Driving Race Car?
Every year, 1.2 million people are killed in car crashes worldwide, the 8th leading cause of death on earth. The goal of all Autonomous Automobiles is to create Zero Accidents. Ever since automobiles were invented, racecars have always tested innovations on the track before they are introduced into production cars. If Autonomous Automobiles are the next big thing in modern mobility, then why aren’t there hundreds of racecars testing this technology around the world?

Why no external glass?
There is no reason for cars to use external glass, since they weigh too much, and modern technology can easily replace them with lightweight, flexible OLED screens, wrapping them 360° around the two passengers inside, giving them much better visibility than any other automobile in the world, by eliminating all visual obstructions, like A, B, C, and D pillars, dematerializing the external skin of the automobile (or airplane, train, home, etc.). The Digital Age allows us to add information to these screens offering Augmented Reality. The total lack of external windows allows car designers to completely transform the traditional architecture of existing automobiles, creating exciting new shapes which were previously impossible.

How can you win a race with no steering wheel?
Self Driving Race Cars (SDRC)s will always need a human driver inside, because perfectly identical robot car races will guarantee empty grandstands, killing motorsports. Only human can bring the “will to win”, which all championship athletes have. But the term “driving” will soon be modified into manual or digital driving modes. During races, human Torq drivers will constantly collaborate with their on-board VPA (Virtual Personal Assistant), who will be dealing directly with the mechanical driving activities. Man and Machine become partners in victory.

The Torq is part of a much larger project called MAAL (Mobile Autonomous Automobile Loboratory). The Mobile Laboratory concept calls for open architecture development for identical prototypes, which will be produced and distributed all over the globe, to OEMs, IT giants, Universities, even legislators. This approach will take the Autonomous Automobile industry farther and faster, which will help eliminate those 1.2 million yearly road casualties worldwide as soon as possible. A big ambition of the Torq project is to race at LeMans in their innovations category, opening a new chapter in car racing history.

Speaker:
Mike Robinson - CEO & Design Director, ED Design srl.
ED Design is a design and engineering company within the automotive and transportation industry.
Born in Los Angeles, California in 1956, graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington in 1978 in Fine Arts and Industrial Design in 1979, Robinson has lived in Turin, Italy since 1979.

Previously, Robinson held the position of Design Director at Bertone, Fiat, and Lancia and worked as a designer with Ford in Dearborn and Volvo in Gothenborg, Sweden. Several of his more prominent styling contributions have been the 1986 Ford Ghia TSX-4 concept car, Fiat Bravo/Brava/Marea, which won European Car of the Year in 1995, the Lancia Lybra, Thesis, Giubileo (Pope John Paul II’s personal limousine), Phedra, and Ypsilon, and the Fiat Ducato. As Bertone Design Director he created the 2010 Alfa Romeo Pandion, 2011 Jaguar B99, 2012 Nuccio, and 2013 Aston Martin Jet 2+2 concept cars, plus the FAW X80 and the BAIC D50 production cars in China.

Agenda: Details to be announced later.

Benefits: 100% of funds in to San Jose State's Formula SAE student racing team.

Host and refreshments sponsor: Institue for Creative Integration and Toyota Innovation Hub