Formula Student launches autonomous racing car competition

European educational engineering competition Formula Student is launching the UK’s first undergraduate autonomous racing car competition.

The competition will take place at Silverstone in July and will aim to give young engineers the chance to hone their software expertise and automation skills on the renowned racing track.

Six UK universities will be entering autonomous cars in the competition, which is run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The competition says that it gives participants the opportunity to build, design and race cars using their creativity and technical expertise to apply the latest technology.

The universities entering include 2018 runners up Oxford Brookes University and 2017 winners Cardiff University as well as teams from University College London, Coventry University, University of Bath and University of Edinburgh.

Dr Colin Brown, CEO of the Institution said, ‘The AI event leads the way in supporting the UK automotive industry, where there is growing demand for electronics and software skills to support connected and autonomous vehicle manufacturers and their supply chain.’