| Indy Autonomous Challenge reveals its first race car |
Ladies and gentlemen, write your algorithms.
The Indy Autonomous Challenge, an event that combines next-generation autonomous-driving technology with the history of IndyCar racing, has unveiled its first race car.
Organizers of the event showcased a Dallara IL-15 autonomous race car at CES this week, kicking off a competition that will end with an autonomous race in October at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The winner could drive away with $1 million in prize money.
The race car itself comes equipped with the hardware needed for teams of university students to write software that enables high-speed, high-stakes autonomous racing. That includes on-board computing, lidar, radar and cameras, and vehicle-to-vehicle communications capability.
The Indy Autonomous Challenge organizers are hoping to spur innovation that will eventually trickle down to everyday self-driving operations. With AV companies conducting on-road testing for millions of miles to see how the vehicles handle rare or extreme incidents, one might consider a race at speeds nearing 200 mph on a closed course one big edge-case scenario.
"IMS is the best place in the world to challenge the robotics community to test self-driving cars," said adviser Sebastian Thrun, who said the new Indy Series drew inspiration from the DARPA Grand Challenges that spawned today's autonomous-driving era. "By going into a racing context, we will stretch self-driving cars to the absolute limit."
More than 500 undergraduate and grad students focusing on artificial intelligence are involved with the Indy Autonomous Challenge. They represent 39 universities across 11 countries.
Teams need to qualify for the final race by crossing a series of thresholds based in simulation and real-world driving. Ten virtual laps must be completed around the famed Speedway's oval in 15 minutes or less by February, and teams must complete the same requirements in the real world at a qualifying event in the days before the Oct. 23 final competition.
— Pete Bigelow
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