News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

You may have heard that driverless cars are set to invade our streets; now driverless racecars are set to change motor racing for ever.

The company behind Roborace, the forthcoming race series that will see autonomous cars race against each other, has revealed its prototype car.

Dubbed the DevBot, the car has a powertrain, sensor suite, processors and communication systems, allowing it to navigate its way around a racecourse without human intervention.

(Image: Roborace)

However, unlike the other autonomous race cars that will compete in the Roborace, it also has a cockpit for a human driver.

This will allow teams to "fully understand how the car thinks and feels on a racetrack alongside the comprehensive real-time data," according to the organisers.

The DevBot is equipped with the same technology as the forthcoming Robocar, which will compete in the Roborace and will be revealed later this year.

(Image: Roborace)

The Robocar is designed by Daniel Simon, best known for his work on Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters such as Tron: Legacy and Oblivion.

"We're living in a time where the once separated worlds of the automobile and artificial intelligence collide with unstoppable force," Simon said when the first designs were revealed back in March .

"My goal was to create a vehicle that takes full advantage of the unusual opportunities of having no driver without ever compromising on beauty."

(Image: Roborace/Daniel Simon)

The first Roborace "shows" will take place during the 2016/2017 Formula E season. Ten teams will each operate two driverless cars and will compete in one-hour races throughout the season.

All the teams will have the same cars, but will create their own real-time computing algorithms and artificial intelligence technologies in order to gain a competitive edge.

"We nicknamed the competition the 'global championship of intelligence' as an open challenge to the world's smartest minds," said Denis Sverdlov, chief executive of Roborace,

"It's gaming, motorsport, technology and entertainment all rolled into one. I passionately believe that the future of cars is about software; driverless, electric and connected and Roborace will help to make that a reality."