from the street to the video game via smartphone

For a few days a year, a small race track is prepared for the GP Ice Race in Zell am See. Only a select few car enthusiasts get the opportunity to drive and drift their vehicles on this snow and ice track. With the Porsche Virtual Roads app, however, it would soon be easy to drive down these and other longing roads with your smartphone, digitize them and share them with others.

For this project, Porsche is working with the Swiss startup Way Ahead Technologies on a software solution.

The recording filmed with the smartphone is analyzed using machine learning. In this way, the road and its immediate surroundings, such as crash barriers and trees, are recorded and converted into a digital 3D representation that is as true to the original as possible.

After several years of development work, our software is now so advanced that it can digitize routes of up to eight kilometers in length for virtual roads in less than an hour, depending on the complexity. Roger Rueegg of Way Ahead Technologies

Normally, digital copies of racetracks for computer games are created using GPS and laser measurement. Way Ahead Technologies’ approach of using video recordings and machine learning for this is not only significantly less complex but also faster. According to Rueegg, it is also conceivable in the future to record and use vehicle sensors such as lateral acceleration and chassis control.

For the demo in Zell am See, for example, the route was exported to the racing game Assetto Corsa. This route would basically be available for fans from all over the world to follow.

If you ask people for the most beautiful route, everyone has their own personal route that comes to mind. Above all, it is the characteristic features of the topography that make it so attractive – regardless of whether it is a special alpine pass or a legendary coastal road. We also want to ensure this recognition effect. With a significantly simplified digitization process that allows everyone to virtually drive their favorite route. Robert Ader, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Porsche

With the idea of ​​the Porsche Virtual Roads App, there is not only the possibility to follow dream roads, but also dream cars from the Porsche brand. I had the opportunity to drive a lap as co-driver with Jörg Bergmeister in the Porsche 718 GT4 RS.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to drive the 718 GT4 RS myself. But driving the vehicle on the simulator during the event was a nice experience.

For my part, I can very well imagine digitizing a few of my favorite routes and driving them without risk in a really sporty way in cars that are otherwise not available to me.

In my opinion, the Porsche Virtual Roads app is therefore an exciting project. At Porsche, for example, the Porsche Roads app has shown that such projects are published with a community approach.

In this context, I wanted to share a part of the PM from Porsche with you again:

Way Ahead Technologies is an example of how Porsche works with young, innovative companies. The sports car manufacturer has built up a diverse startup ecosystem: In addition to Porsche Ventures, this includes the technology and digital unit Porsche Digital, the company builder Forward 31 and the early-stage investor APX, a joint venture with Axel Springer SE. This startup ecosystem aims to offer the right contact person for a wide variety of founding teams – no matter what phase of development your startup is in.

In the past, Porsche has proven time and again with such and similar projects that digitization is not just lip service. Personally, I’m very excited to see how the Porsche Virtual Roads app will develop in the future.