The Inside Track: Our AI Future Indy Autonomous Challenge

In this special episode, we look back at some of our original predictions for 2023 as a way to reflect on where the world of autonomous racing and AI technology is in 2024. How do those predictions stack up to reality? Does what we know now about the integration with universities, industry, and government agencies match our original predictions? What more will we learn in the years to come?     

The motorsports world attracts people from all walks of life. However, it’s not every day that a former rock star becomes a pioneer in the electrical vehicle space. Today on the Inside on the Inside Track, we have the honor of speaking with Rue Phillips, former guitarist for Black Sabbath and current President of EV training and implementation company SkillFusion. SkillFusion has been working tirelessly to improve the EV experience across the US and ensure that there is a reliable network of charging stations and more skilled Technicians. 

In this episode, we were going to learn about how Rue went from the rock and roll world to building out the future EV infrastructure grid, and why the United State’s electrical workforce needs a serious update.

Today, on the inside track, we get a chance to look at how the autonomous motorsports team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has been writing a manual for the world of autonomous racing. To help explain the process, Simon Hoffmann, the leader of the TUM team, sits down with us to discuss how they became the first-ever winners of the Indy Autonomous challenge, some of the obstacles they overcame to get their car on the track,  and how the team is able to have real-time conversations about the car without driver feedback. 

In the words of the NASCAR legend Richard Childress, “Once you’ve raced, you never forget it…and you never get over it.” This is the most fitting quote to explain the near obsession so many students and engineers competing in the IAC develop. The intoxicating call to the racetrack easily proves there is a racing driver in all of us. 

Today, on the inside track, we sit down with team leader Stephanie Meyer of Autonomous Tiger Racing at Auburn University to explore this idea. At first, she didn’t feel the pull of racing in the ways that more traditional gearheads would, but as we will find out, working on the Luna car sparked the interest that has kept her on the track. Later, she discusses how to overcome the various levels of anxiety that come with sending out a car to race, even if you’re not sure the car is ready to compete. 

So far in this series, we have had so many incredible conversations with the leaders and visionaries of the autonomous revolution that it can be easy to lose sight of just how far we’ve come. Just eight years ago, some of the first commercial self-driving cars were crawling along at 10 miles per hour in California, and today, we have seen first-hand how fast these cars can go. 

Today, on the Inside Track, we have the honor of speaking with Professor Sergio Savaresi from the Polytechnic University of Milan. Many consider Sergio one of the grandfathers of the autonomous revolution and he has authored over 500 papers and journals on automation research. Together, we’ll reflect on how quickly self-driving cars have advanced and where the industry is heading. Later, we’ll theorize how the world of transportation might change and whether or not humans will even be allowed to drive their own cars on public roads. 

Today, on the Inside Track, we sit down with Gary Passon, the AI Racing Team Principal and leader for the University of Hawaii, to discuss how a school known for Oceanography became a leading name in robotics and engineering.

The small but mighty robotics and engineering team at the University of Hawaii Manoa is not only competing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but is beating some of the most advanced engineering teams in the world. Gary gives us insight into why the IAC is so important for the future of racing and how his team put the University of Hawaii on the global stage.