TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — High school students from Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee and Texas will showcase aspects of autonomous vehicle technology by participating in the Rose-Hulman Autonomous Vehicle Challenge on Friday, March 15, at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Sports and Recreation Center.

 

Teams from 14 high schools and affinity groups have spent several weeks designing, building and testing miniature autonomous vehicles that use a microcontroller and sensors to race on oval- and clover-figure race tracks.

 

Then, the final challenge will have a large track with a combination of twisting turns and straightaway sections. This layout of this track is unknown to students until they arrive at the competition.

 

A team from Richardson High School in Richardson, Texas, returns as the defending overall competition champion.

 

The students have used tools developed by computing software developer MathWorks and the international semiconductor firm NXP to implement engineering processes used by Ford Motor Co. to design advanced technology vehicles. All three companies are co-sponsoring the event. These corporate sponsors and Rose-Hulman hope the competition attracts high school students to consider careers in STEM fields.

 

“Students like getting to work on something that real engineers are doing today and maybe someday they could follow and make a career out of this,” says Marc Herniter, professor of electrical and computer engineering who developed the autonomous vehicle challenge. “People are starting to realize that electric vehicles are becoming today’s technology, and autonomous isn’t too far away from becoming a reality.”

 

Ford engineer Jon Nibert adds, “It’s exciting to see the students so interested in solving problems by using their hands and minds.”

 

EVENT SCHEDULE:

(Fieldhouse Area, Sports and Recreation Center)

Friday, March 15

9- 11 a.m. – First Round Races (Oval, Clover and Random Tracks)

11 a.m.-1 p.m. – Break & Lunch

1-2:30 p.m. – Final Races (Oval, Clover and Random Tracks)

3-3:30 p.m. – Awards

 

COMPETING HIGH SCHOOLS:

Indiana

Attica Junior-Senior High School, Attica

Clay City Junior-Senior High School, Clay City

Martinsville High School, Martinsville

Northview High School, Brazil

Riverton Parke Junior-Senior High School, Montezuma

Rose-Hulman Affinity Team, Terre Haute

Terre Haute North Vigo High School, Terre Haute

Terre Haute South Vigo High School, Terre Haute

Illinois

Lane Tech High School, Chicago

Tennessee

Clayton Bradley Academy, Maryville

Pope John Paul II High School, Hendersonville

Texas

James Martin High School, Arlington

Marshall High School, Marshall

Richardson High School, Richardson