Graduate students test their million-dollar autonomous racecar

Brian Mao and Ben Zhang, two graduate students from the University of Waterloo and members of a multi-university team compete at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Indy Autonomous Challenge. At the event, teams from across the world compete with self-driving racecars for a prize of $1 million USD.

Mao earned a degree in mechanical engineering (BASc ’20) at Waterloo and is now pursuing a master’s degree in applied mathematics. Zhang has a degree in computer science (BCS ’20) and is studying for his master’s in electrical and computer engineering.

"It's been an amazing opportunity to advance autonomous vehicle technology once again,” said Mao, who has been in Las Vegas with Zhang for six weeks to prepare for the race.

Mao and Zhang are the team leads for controls and vehicle modeling. They have been focusing on software integration, which includes accounting for noisy sensors and vehicle dynamics. Their car has reached speeds in testing of over 140 mph and they look forward to demonstrating its improved capabilities, including passing maneuvers. Waterloo initially had a small team of its own called WATORACE before teaming up with three U.S. schools to pool resources and expertise.