Autonomous vehicle team continues to rev up the competition

From being stuck at zero in previous years to breaking the 100 mph mark in January, Purdue’s autonomous vehicle racing team has made impressive strides over the years.

The Black and Gold Racing team was formed in 2021 when the inaugural Indy Autonomous Challenge encouraged institutions worldwide to develop and test new generations of software to operate fully autonomous race cars.

That October, 21 universities from nine countries competed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Germany’s Technical University of Munich took the top prize. Purdue’s team encountered challenges that have plagued the team at similar competitions until recently.

Sam Labi, professor of civil and construction engineering, became the team’s lead faculty advisor in fall 2022. Labi is director of the campus branch of the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation. The core team at that time was comprised of volunteer students from various disciplines, including the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, electrical and computer engineering, aeronautical and astronautical engineering and civil and construction engineering.

“I was drawn to this initiative because it brings together a global community of engineers to address a complex challenge.” Labi said. “Additionally, in building future highways, our civil and construction engineering students must learn to develop new road design philosophies that account for the prevailing levels of vehicle automation.”

In fall 2023, persistent efforts by Labi led to funding from Arvind Raman, dean of the College of Engineering which fueled several changes including expanding and restructuring the team and a renaming to Purdue AI Racing.

After exhibiting significant progress, Purdue was invited to partake in the January 2024 race in Las Vegas. In a bid to qualify for the main event, the Purdue vehicle reached a record 103 mph but suffered a side-crash and thus exited the competition.

“Las Vegas was a valuable experience and motivated the team to seek greater heights,” said CCE graduate student Richard Ajagu. “Our leaps in such a short period were unprecedented. As our team grew in size and experience, we remained focused on winning.”

Daniel Williams, professor of engineering practice, became the director of Purdue AI Racing in spring 2024. The team will compete in the IAC at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway again this fall.