| North Carolina A&T State University has been selected to compete in AutoDrive Challenge™, a three-year collegiate autonomous vehicle competition. SAE International and General Motors (GM) have partnered to sponsor AutoDrive Challenge™, the latest of SAE’s Collegiate Design Series. Participation from North Carolina A&T will include Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and other Technology departments.
“The College of Engineering is very proud that our team has been selected for this competition. I am very confident in the capabilities of the faculty team committed to the project, as their expertise in vehicle design and autonomy is why we chose to target this AutoChallenge,” said Robin Coger, dean of the College of Engineering. “Representatives from our faculty team are eager to move forward with the preparations necessary to ensure the team’s success.”
This newly established competition will task students to develop and demonstrate a fully autonomous driving passenger vehicle. The technical goal of AutoDrive Challenge™ is to navigate an urban driving course in an automated driving mode, as described by SAE Standard (J3016) level 4 definition, by year three.
Throughout AutoDrive Challenge™, students and faculty will be invited to attend technology specific workshops to help them in their concept refinement and overall autonomous technical understanding. N.C. A&T is one of only eight teams from universities across the U.S. and Canada to participate in the inaugural competition including, Kettering University, Michigan State University, Michigan Tech, Texas A&M University, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and Virginia Tech.
“I am extremely proud of the university for being selected. North Carolina A&T is one of the proven leaders in training and developing engineers and technology professionals,” said Tobin Williams, General Motors Executive Director, Global HR and Staffs, and Executive Champion for University Recruiting for North Carolina A&T.
The support from SAE International and GM Includes startup funding, a donated Chevrolet Bolt EV, graduate assistant funding, competition and workshop travel expenses, and program management support.
The universities selected to compete were announced April 5, 2017, during the WCX17: SAE World Congress Experience, in Detroit, MI. WCX17 is a full-sensory event experience that immerses you in the forefront of the automotive and mobility industries.
The first challenge of the three-year competition is scheduled to place in April 2018.
More information about this exciting challenge can be found at http://students.sae.org/cds/autodrive/event/. |
