Aussie uni students build autonomous race car

Students at one of Melbourne’s leading universities have constructed Australia’s first fully autonomous, student-built race car.

Monash University’s M19-D is able to detect a racetrack and perceive its environment in real time, as well as use a stereoscopic camera system that uses artificial technology to perceive distance in a similar way the human eye does.

Its development began in 2016, with more than 200 undergraduate students from a diverse range of faculties at Monash University eventually bringing the M19-D to life.

Making its public demonstration debut over the weekend at the university’s Open Day in Clayton, Victoria, the self-driving race car is set to compete in the Formula Student driverless competition in Germany in 2020.

The Faculty of Engineering’s Director of Student Teams, Dr Scott Wordley, commended the students on an outstanding job in building the driverless car.

“This is a true testament to their tenacity and commitment, and I’m looking forward to seeing their hard work come to life,” he said.

The M19-D is fitted with an advanced laser scanner (LiDAR unit) and a GPS system that can locate the car within a 10cm radius. It’s said to have completed more than 1000km of on-track testing to date.

An onboard emergency braking system with complete redundancy can shut the car off in case of a vehicle fault.

Monash Motorsport’s Driverless Chief Engineer, Aryaman Pandav, said leading the build has provided him with the skills to be job-ready when he finishes his double degree in mechatronics and science.

“I’ve been part of the Monash Motorsport team since 2017. Since joining, I’ve not only gained hands-on engineering experience, but also the strong leadership skills required to excel in my career and lead a team effectively,” he said.

“I’ve also created strong industry connections through networking with Monash alumni, partners and sponsors that will best prepare me for today’s workforce,” he said.

The university’s student-run motorsport team comprises more than 130 active members who have designed, built, tested and raced Formula SAE cars around the world since 2000.

Monash ranks second in the world in the internal combustion category, and broke ground recently by ranking seventh in the world with its first EV.