(CNN)It’s a car loaded with technology that its developers boldly predict will transform our cities and transform the way we live.
The autonomous “DevBot #1” recently made a big leap forward in Morocco, making its debut on a street circuit at the Formula E Marrakech ePrix.
The battery-powered prototype will be tested for Roborace – a planned racing series in which driverless cars will compete on temporary street circuits.
“It’s the first time we’ve run the Devbot in driverless mode on a Formula E track in the middle of a city street,” Roborace’s Justin Cooke told CNN.
“It’s so exciting for the team that has put in hours and hours of work. These guys were busy until 1-2am developing technology that no one else in the world can execute at this speed and in these complicated environments.”
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Using a variety of sensors – including GPS, radar and ultrasound – in conjunction with sophisticated computer programs, the car learns how to navigate a route at high speed while avoiding all obstacles.
“What we’re doing right now is at the forefront of technology,” says Cooke, who is also the CMO of Kinetik – an investment company founded by Russian businessman Denis Sverdlov, which is backing the project financially.
“There’s two or three types of space racing, if you will — some people are going to Mars, we’re developing robotic cars, and I think it’s probably one of the most exciting, if not the most exciting, space events in the world right now.”
After the successful 30-minute test in Marrakech – this year’s host city of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP22) – Cooke says the company will next look to run two cars together on the track, with the eventual goal of up to 10 Cars to take part in every Formula E ePrix weekend.
“To be here at COP22 when we celebrate an electric future, a driverless future – it’s the perfect time for Roborace,” enthuses Cooke.
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“More than anything, we want people to be excited about technology because it’s going to transform our lives, it’s going to transform our cities.”
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