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IU students take on Indy Autonomous Challenge

Luddy School’s self-driving race car shines in debut outing

By Indiana University

September 19^th, 2024

The Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering made its debut Sept. 6 at the Indy Autonomous Challenge with an AI-driven, 1,400-pound race car that reached speeds up to nearly 130 mph.

The leader of the IU team who raced the car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is Lantao Liu, associate professor of intelligent systems engineering and computer science on the Bloomington campus.

Liu is also director of IU’s Vehicle Autonomy and Intelligence Lab in Bloomington, which focuses on improving the autonomy and intelligence of robotic systems for unmanned ground, aerial and aquatic vehicles.

Altogether, more than 30 students — including recent graduates — contributed to the project.

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The Luddy School's car sits on pit row at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Photo by Chris Meyer/IU)

IU Luddy team members review information on a screen. Back row from left are Ihab Mohamed, Lantao Liu, Md. Al-Masrur Khan and Reddy Charan Pulivendula. Seated from left are Durgakant Pushp and Hassan Jardali. (Photo by Chris Meyer/IU)

Team leader Lantao Liu, director of IU’s Vehicle Autonomy and Intelligence Lab in Bloomington, speaks with members of the team during the challenge. (Photo by Chris Meyer/IU)

Luddy School team members stand on pit row with their vehicle during the challenge. (Photo by Chris Meyer/IU)

The Luddy School team’s race car achieved a 124-mph peak one-lap average around the Speedway’s iconic 2.5-mile oval — an achievement many thought impossible for a team with less than a year of developmental time. (Photo by Chris Meyer/IU)

IU Luddy team members fist bump through a fence during the challenge. (Photo by Chris Meyer/IU)

From left: Gene Renuart, Lantao Liu, Ihab Mohamed, Paul Coen, Alejandro Murillo-González, Paul Quigley, Sam Huser, Saeoul Park, Lingchuan — From left: Gene Renuart, Lantao Liu, Ihab Mohamed, Paul Coen, Alejandro Murillo-González, Paul Quigley, Sam Huser, Saeoul Park, Lingchuan "Zic" Zhou, Md. Al-Masrur Khan, Durgakant Pushp, Youwei Yu, Reddy Charan Pulivendula, Mahmoud Ali and Hassan Jardali.

Footnotes

Photos by Chris Meyer. Story by Pete DiPrimo.

FootNotes

Photos by Chris Meyer. Story by Pete DiPrimo.

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