THE ELECTRIC-AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE
Formula Technion’s electric driverless project is part of the Technion’s flagship project “Formula Technion” which brings together students from mechanical, aerospace, electrical and industrial engineering as well as computer science faculties. The team designs, develops and builds an electric-driverless racecar and plans on competing in the “Formula Student” series in 2020 against leading universities from across the globe.
CHALANGES AND STAGES IN DEVELOPMENT
The team’s challenges can be split into two categories:
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Building an electric racecar
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Developing an algorithm for fast and efficient autonomous driving.
MOTORS AND BATTERIES:
Powertrain development with motor power of 30-60 kWh at
320V. The powertrain is controlled by the Vehicle Control Unit and is capable of regenerative braking.
The motors have a water-cooling system and a temperature
controlled battery pack.
CONE DETECTION:
Detecting cones in different weather conditions, separating cones by color and route prediction to reduce runtimes and increase efficiency.
STEREO CAMERA:
Detect distance to cones using one camera case with two cameras
inside. By synchronizing the points between the two cameras after cone detection to
reduce runtimes.
MAPPING:
Integration of data from various sensors to draw a map with the cones. The
vehicle must log the number of cones on the course and the log must be submitted to the
competition.
PATH PLANNING:
Find areas of the track where the car can drive and optimize track based
on the car’s dynamic model
‘LEARNING’ ALGORITHM:
Develop an algorithm which receives a picture input from
cameras and sensors and “learns” to navigate between cones.