The Roborace's Self-Driving Race Car Is Every Kind of Absurd

If Formula One cars resemble those crazy birds-of-paradise, subject to the whims of evolution, the Roborace car looks like a fish you'd find waddling around a cave--built to fit a world that has little in common with the one humans know. The global motorsports series, created by UK VC fund Kinetik, is set to launch next year as part of Formula E, the all-electric racing series now in its second season. Roborace, which just unveiled the design for its race cars, is meant to promote autonomous driving and offer software developers a high-profile, competitive venue for honing their work. The teams will share hardware--everyone gets the same car--but develop their own software. After all, that's the stuff that matters when it comes to navigating a crowded track at speeds nearing 200 mph.