The Indy Autonomous Challenge: Accelerating Student Innovation in Driverless Technology
Image Credit: David Bertram
As technology advances, so do the many applications of it. Autonomous vehicles are one of the latest technologies to become increasingly actualized through innovative engineering and applied digital technologies. While still an emerging technology application, many STEM professionals are working hard at improving driverless vehicles. The promise of self-driving vehicles is profound, but the complex and multifaceted technology behind them are challenging for engineers, who are responsible for creating vehicles that are not only viable and effective, but also safe and ready for commercialization.
One way that aspiring engineers can impact the realm of automated vehicles is through their graduate education. Unique opportunities like the Indy Autonomous Challenge offer STEM students the opportunity to work on exciting topics in the realm of driverless vehicle production. In 2024, Michigan State University’s team excelled in this challenge, using their exceptional engineering education and training to create a completely self-driving race car capable of passing, braking at high speeds and maneuvering through challenging obstacles.
What Is the Indy Autonomous Challenge?
The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) exists to address some of the critical issues for automated vehicle production, inviting teams from universities around the world to compete in engineering the software, sensors, control systems and networking that drives autonomous race cars. The IAC enables STEM students to engage with critical challenges in driverless vehicle safety and performance. Competitors must design driving systems that can navigate obstacles at very high speeds with little decision time, core to safe self-driving technologies for busy roads.
Each team starts with the same race car (The IAC AV-24, based on the Dallara Indy NXT) to ensure fairness, but competitors are responsible for ensuring that the vehicles are able to navigate and race independently. The event is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and hosted by the Energy Systems Network (ESN), which is an initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP).
MSU’s Team: Working Together To Drive Innovation
Image Credit: David Bertram
This year, Michigan State University’s team joined forces with the Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) team and University of Alabama team in creating vehicle driver software for the IAC. Focus areas include developing and implementing sensor technology to glean both internal and external data, as well as developing data processing systems and control systems that can make use of that data in real time, contributing to safety and capability in driverless vehicles.
In September of 2024, the team was able to demonstrate the results of their efforts, winning the passing competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and securing second place in the time trials. They further demonstrated impressive capabilities by setting a new record for fastest passing by an autonomous vehicle and being able to successfully make a controlled stop from 145mph.
Collaboration between Michigan State University, POLIMI and the University of Alabama has resulted in great success aligning various critical systems that enable the development of driverless race cars able to achieve great feats on the track. Eventually, these may translate to new forms of success in creating autonomous driving for roadways that balance safety and reliability.
High-Level Technical AI Planning
The IAC focuses on practicality and application of high-level technical concepts, especially in the domains of data processing and sensor technology. Teams must prepare for challenges in these areas, leveraging both hardware and software optimization to deliver integrated systems that make use of an array of sensors, physical control systems and networking. All of these technologies work together to turn, brake and accelerate independently while accounting for environmental surroundings in split-second timing. As such, high-level technical AI planning is required.
MSU CANVAS Engine
CANVAS, short for Connected and Autonomous Networked Vehicles for Active Safety, has been at the forefront of developing many of the same systems that will be expanded upon in challenges such as the IAC.
The integrated CANVAS system is a framework that utilizes sensor technology, networking technology and real-world transportation and traffic data to provide a clear representation of the interwoven systems that affect transportation. In the IAC, LiDar, radar and visual sensing from the CANVAS system were instrumental to actualizing the racing systems.
Testing, Development and Top Challenges
Testing and development, crucial for effective and safe autonomous systems, is a collaborative effort that brings together an array of technical domains — including control systems, sensing systems, software programming, data integration and data processing. MSU’s Spartan Mobility Village, a sprawling on-campus testing environment, played a huge role in the development and integration of many of these systems. But the IAC presents some specific concerns, particularly in the realm of high-speed processing.
These vehicles must navigate at high speeds in a dynamic environment with other vehicles. As such, development starts with software testing, then hardware is examined for a variety of factors. The final step is real system simulation which integrates both software and hardware.
Local Awareness
In the challenge, teams must pull together critical systems that process data at varying levels of granularity. Localization relies on both global positioning and precise sensor inputs, enabling self-driving navigation across different weather and track conditions. Sensor technologies used for this include LiDAR, radar and visual processing. This requires focus on not only integrating data from various sources, but also on ensuring that the system is able to process and apply that data as it navigates.
Route Planning and Real-Time Maneuvering
Just like busy roads in your daily life, predetermined route planning in a racing environment isn’t always viable, making real-time responses to obstacles in planned routes one of the most important considerations in automated driving technology. Vehicles must be “aware” of not only static and unmoving obstacles, but also moving obstacles like other vehicles.
Vehicle Control
Fine control is another critical objective of autonomous driving systems. As driverless race cars project short and long-term trajectories, they must be able to adapt them using mechanical control systems. This requires extensive control design to ensure effective braking, turning and acceleration. These systems must be integrated with navigation and trajectory-planning systems and robust enough to account for minute changes at high speeds.
Looking Ahead: The 2025 Race
The next IAC will be held in 2025, and MSU’s team is already hard at work preparing. Per a two-year agreement with Politecnico di Milano in Italy and the University of Alabama, MSU students and faculty will once again drive forward the future of self-driving vehicles with exceptional partners from all three institutions. We’re excited to see further innovations and advancements in key technologies — and some of the world’s fastest autonomous race cars.
Expanding Knowledge and Career Opportunities
The IAC is an exceptional example of the opportunities that allow STEM students to succeed in their fields in innovative ways. By combining several important STEM areas, the IAC puts students’ theoretical knowledge to the test in practical applications with real stakes. Students who participate in opportunities like the IAC get the chance to demonstrate excellence in their disciplines, while expanding their professional networks and even gaining access to valuable career opportunities.
MSU’s online M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering is designed to familiarize and train students in key domains highly relevant to self-driving vehicles and other cutting-edge engineering disciplines and challenges. Through courses like Autonomous Vehicles and Neural Networks and Deep Learning, students will gain unique skills that equip them for the workforce, future engineering projects and fulfilling work in areas they’re passionate about.
About Michigan State University’s Online Master of Science in Electrical & Computer Engineering
Michigan State University’s online Master of Science in Electrical & Computer Engineering program readies students to excel in the field by expanding their technical knowledge and focusing on the real problems spurring technical innovation. Courses in the online program are taught by MSU’s faculty of pioneering researchers and experienced educators. Online students can choose from two plans of study, selecting a thesis or non-thesis option as they complete a graduate education from an R1 research institution ranked among the Top 22 Public Institutions, according to the Wall Street Journal’s 2025 edition of Best Colleges in the U.S. Request a brochure to learn more about the program, or start your application today.
Request Brochure
To learn more about Michigan State University’s online master’s programs in engineering and download a free brochure, fill out the fields below to request information. You can also call us toll-free at (888) 351-8360.