Autonomous RACECAR IAP Course

Instructors and engineers from MIT and Lincoln Labs will offer MIT students the opportunity to be the first to beta-test a newly developed mini-RACECAR prototype! Originally, the hardware and software that make up RACECAR were carefully crafted at MIT for a junior-level robotics course, also known as "Robotics: Science and Systems (6.141/16.405)". Every year, BeaverWorks Summer Institutes offers a rigorous derivative course that teaches high school students the fundamentals of robotics and programming, which prepare and encourage them to engage in similar STEM activities in their future.

Dubbed as model “neo” (package racecar-neo), the new mini-RACECAR prototype for 2024 consists of a Raspberry Pi 4, Arducam color and TOF cameras, YDLIDAR, and Adafruit IMU. Using the sensor suite, processing algorithms, and control fundamentals instructed in class, students will write Python scripts to implement autonomous behavior for the RACECAR to drive through a dynamic obstacle course. Several obstacles are made to challenge the utility of several sensors, such as line following for the color camera and wall following for the LIDAR sensor.

The IAP course is a hyper-accelerated version of the summer course, meant to stress test the various intricacies of the new hardware and software used. Over the four-day course, students will apply their skills in many different challenges and have the chance to troubleshoot, debug, and fix hardware components. By working with the engineers who developed RACECAR and collaborating with teammates, students will demonstrate fast, autonomous navigation at the Mini Grand Prix Final Event!

Email: Chris Lai at christopher.lai@ll.mit.edu if interested in taking the course.

Event Name: Autonomous RACECAR IAP Course

Dates: Tuesday, January 16th, 2024 - Friday, January 19th, 2024

Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm  

Location: 33-339, 17-130