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'Telecommuting' In Formula 1
flewp writes "This New York Times article on Formula 1 racing gives some insight into the workings of one of the most high-tech sports on the planet — consider that a few years ago, Sauber's supercomputer ranked toward the top of all the supercomputers in Europe. The teams bring to each race dozens of mechanics, support personnel, etc.; but back at their home bases, perhaps thousands of miles away, countless more engineers work (with the help of gobs of computing power) to give each team that extra edge."
I initially read that as 'Teleporting in Formula 1'. And after realizing my err in judgement, I came to the conclusion that my original interpretation will still probably come true before we get flying cars (if they ever to arrive).
Even funnier is the bloke who misreads it as 'Teleconferencing in Formula 1', those would be some badass conference calls, ones I might actually look forward to. It might make some of the mush-mouths get to the point fairly quickly when they have 700+ hp under their testicles, and are responsible for not decimating them in a fiery collision! Now thats synergy!
'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
I mean. It's almost as boring as US car races but at least the tracks aren't ovals. God, almost fell asleep just at the thought.
Excitement. Look at Touring cars, motorcycles; British Superbikes, now there are a bunch of complete nutters. The TT at the Isle of Man. Even MotoGP is better.
Formula 1? What ...a ... bunch ... of ... BORING ... pussies.
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A couple of weeks ago I was watching qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix on Speed Network, after which they showed the 24 hours of Le Mans, of which I watched about 10 hours worth. I was all excited and expecting the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday but no, it was some stupid NASCAR recap show (not a race) then some "Two Rednecks in a Garage" show. Pardon me for wanting to actually see racing and not that other crap. If you like racing, (not the kind that is a constant left turn), it's hard to find in the US. I really can't stand NASCAR - it's boring as hell except for the crashes. The rest of the world can have their "football" with their "nils" and whatnot. I just want some real road racing and rally racing, and no, monster truck rallies don't count either. /rant
I still cannot find the droids I am looking for...
This year's F1 season has been one of the most exciting since the early 90s. At least that's what I've been told. I've stopped watching since the days of Schumacher winning everything under the Sun.
That's interesting, but I'll really be interested when they invent a motor sport where the cars are driven remotely. I'm thinking of kind of a virtual reality rig where the controls simulate being inside the car. No one would go for this in the present types of auto racing even if it were allowed, since they would have a disadvantage even if the technology advanced considerably: the driver would lack certain kinds of information from sound and touch, not to mention signal lag.
But imagine if there were a separate motor sport where everyone drives that way. Not only would the technology itself be cool, but think of how much more riskily they could drive without any danger to human life. It's my understanding that drivers are always trying to push the envelope that way anyway (and the rules have to be revised to push back in the direction of safety), so presumably it would expand the sport with different machinery and perhaps new techniques that would be too dangerous otherwise. And the crash-happy spectators would certainly like it, and might feel less like ghouls for enjoying the spectacular destruction of machinery without the uncomfortable reality that there's a human being in there. (Or is that the appeal? I don't know.)
Also, we need to build military vehicles that work the same way. On the ground, that is—Predator drones already kick ass.
"This algorithm runs in constant time. Come on, 2,147,483,648 is a constant..."
pushing the limited limits in a sports that has very sharp limits defined by a federation. a lot of fuss over huge bullshit. when someone broke a world record or even attempted a trial back in 1930s, it was a real deal, real thrill, real news. they could push the limits. now, it is a huge charade which is built on marketing and illusions.
Yet Sauber still can't win a race.
Whoops, posted in wrong thread, my bad.
e.g.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfPM77TsGaA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h04yfZ4xIY
The real head cases though race here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE7H6f9PVwk
Formula 1?
Might as well not bother.
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No, trolling the radicals is proper in any thread.
Ah, but we don't get live coverage of Touring cars in this country. I would love to watch Aussie touring cars, or even the British 2ltre variety.
NASCAR sux.
Considering the risk to the humans involved building these race cars with robotic drivers functions might make for an interesting and even higher speed race.
Is there a better name for enterprises where the amount of money you can throw at the engineers is more important than the driver?
I don't dislike F1 because it's boring to watch (like tennis or golf) it's more a sense of disdain at the so-called cars. Yes, they're fast but they need rebuilding so very often; they aren't cars they're toys. If you want an interesting motorsport then stock car racing is the one to watch
Spa Francorchamps, e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBmcjp-vAaY
Saw the race last year. Simply awesome.
Dude, the Isle of Man TT is insane. At the speed at which those guys go, every 3mm dip or bump in the road leads to those huge wobbles and instability. The roads that make up the course are some of the smoothest and best maintained IRL roads in the world, but it's still not a glassy smooth, purpose built racetrack.
"back at their home bases, perhaps thousands of miles away, countless more engineers work (with the help of gobs of computing power) to give each team that extra edge."
Maybe they could use some of that computing power to count the engineers, if only for payroll purposes.
Looks like someone just (finally?) stumbled onto Speed TV - where they talk about this and other aspects of the remote engineering every week... Tivo it, it's actually pretty cool stuff!
"Computers are a lot like Air Conditioners" "They both work great until you start opening Windows"
Fact is, wherever the formula 1 circus goes, it completely destroys the lap times of any other sport racing on the same circuit. (i e read faster)
i myself as a fan for 10+ years almost always fall asleep during the most boring parts of races, most f1 races are only exiting at the start and the end, the middle is mostly just driving to the finish with no fights, but when it is exiting, boy is it ever.
I've done this myself. I live in northern California and race motorcycles at the amateur level as a member of the American Federation of Motorcycles (AFM.)
This is my novice season and prior to racing this year, my only track experience was up at Thunder Hill, in Willows CA. The AFM also races at Buttonwillow, and has three events at Sears Point (Infineon) raceway near Napa, California. Sears Point Raceway is featured in a number of games, including Tourist Trophy for the PS2.
My experience is that practicing with video games prior to riding a new track is valuable but is far from being a replacement for real world experience and youtube videos. The video game provided me a good broad overview of the track, and taught me the basic layout, which was incredibly helpful. But the video game fails in a number of important areas:
First... The maps aren't detailed enough to provide reference points. When racing, it's incredibly important to note features and marks on or around the track that can be used to identify actions, such as where to start braking, where to turn in, where to apex, and where I want to end up. These reference points can be things such as billboards, patches on the track, curbing... In one case, a porta-poty on the side of the track turned out to be a good reference point. The level of detail in video games just won't help there.
For what it's worth, the game is quite good. The curbing all seems to be in the right place. Camber is correct on all turns, and I notice a lot of subtle track features I see in real life.
Second... The overall performance of the motorcycles in many video games don't line up with reality. I noticed in Tourest Trophy that some of the bikes would hit speeds completely unreasonable for the amount of power they produced. Conversely, the handling feels fairly sluggish - real machines could often take tighter lines than their simulated counterparts, permitting me to carry more speed through the corners. The extra simulated power often meant that shift points and brake points that work in the video game would be all wrong in real life.
As an example, in real life I ride a mostly stock Suzuki GS500, which makes about 40 horsepower at the wheel. Through turn 3, I can generally hold the throttle wide open. Making the same turn in TT on a "Race Prepped CB400SS" without closing the throttle will put me in the simulated weeds.
Finally, the physics in the video game are all wrong. For instance, rolling off the gas mid turn at the lean angles we run usually causes the front tire to slide, and often leads to a crash. In the game, not only can you roll aggressively on and off the gas, but you can even apply the brakes at full lean. Obviously, there are games with better simulated physics, but I doubt you're going to find one that dials it all the way up to true realism - such a game would be nearly impossible to play with the limited feedback provided by a video game.
But again, the experience on the video game is valuable. Prior to playing Tourist Trophy, it was very hard for me to understand and follow the track when I watch youtube videos. Having an idea of where the video was recorded makes it easier to follow along and pay attention to details.
The huge benefit to learning the track on a video game is that I don't have to spend valuable track time learning the track layout during practice. The first time out on an unfamiliar track, it's very difficult to run anywhere near the limits of the tracks potential, due to the doubt about upcoming corners. When I don't have a good feeling for how long a turn is, or how a turn is cambered, I'm naturally going to run a very conservative pace.
As a side note... My best lap around Sears point was a 2:02, on my second race weekend with 5 days of experience on the track. For comparison sake, in Tourist Trophy, I can consistently pull 1:56s on the Honda CB400SS, which the game claims makes 31HP (25% less than my bike.) The game also claims that the bike hits 100 miles per hour between turn