An Anatomy of Autonomous Racing: Autonomous Go-Karts
Racing has always been a passion of ours at Autoware Foundation. It’s not just about speed or the thrill of competition; it’s about pushing boundaries, fostering innovation, and building a strong community. Through racing, we’ve formed invaluable bonds with academics, students, and the broader racing world. These partnerships have allowed us to push the envelope of autonomous driving technology while inspiring the next generation of engineers.
Autonomous racing, as it turns out, is also an incredible educational tool. It provides students with hands-on experience in robotics, AI, and engineering in ways that traditional classroom settings cannot. From the precision required to navigate a track to the split-second decision-making needed to compete at high speeds, racing sharpens skills that are essential in the world of autonomy.
Many form factors are involved in autonomous racing, each providing unique learning opportunities. It can start with 1:10th-scale robots1, advance to versions equipped with upgraded sensors like 3D LiDARs, and move up to autonomous go-karts. The pinnacle of this progression is the full-scale Indy cars2 as it stands today, racing autonomously at speeds of over 270 km/h, showcasing just how far the technology can be pushed in high-stakes environments.
Autonomous Go-Karts: Revolutionizing Racing and Education
One of the standout formats in the world of autonomous racing is the Autonomous Karting Series (AKS), where autonomous go-karts take center stage. This competition, which began in 2023, is designed to push the limits of self-driving technology while providing an accessible platform for students and universities to compete and innovate. The AKS holds its annual National Grand Prix at Purdue University, where some of the brightest minds in autonomous technology face off.
In the 2024 Grand Prix, six teams—hailing from the University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Purdue University, University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Kennesaw State University—fought fiercely for the top spot. The teams raced in three distinct categories:
Time Trial: Teams aimed to clock the fastest five laps on the track.
Open Category: Teams were allowed to pre-map the track and use the data to guide their kart. The challenge here was speed and control without the presence of cones.
Reactive Category: This was the most demanding, as teams were prohibited from pre-mapping the track. With only cones to guide their karts, teams had to rely on real-time data and rapid decision-making.
For two years in a row, the Autoware Foundation team from the University of Pennsylvania dominated the event, clinching first place in both the Open and Reactive categories in 2024, showcasing their exceptional engineering prowess and cutting-edge autonomous technology.
Adding a Niche Expertise into the Mix
In the latest AKS race, the Autoware Team at the University of Pennsylvania took their autonomous go-kart platform to new heights by incorporating Fixposition‘s Vision-RTK2 sensor. Known for its robust fusion of GNSS, inertial measurement units (IMU), and visual odometry, the Vision-RTK2 provided the team with unmatched accuracy and reliability in vehicle positioning.
The sensor was mounted near the top of the rear shelf of the go-kart, integrated with a 24V power source. It had to be positioned in a way that parts of the steering wheel were visible to the sensor’s camera. However, this interference was filtered out using Fixposition’s WebUI, ensuring clean sensor data.
The team further optimized their setup by utilizing Point One Navigation’s Polaris RTK subscription for Network Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol (NTRIP), which enhanced the accuracy of the real-time positioning data. The odometry data from the Vision-RTK2 was used to derive the vehicle’s local position and orientation. This information was critical for the mapping and localization stack, and after applying trajectory optimization, the kart was controlled via a pure pursuit control algorithm.
Despite occasional GNSS drifts, the visual odometry from the Vision-RTK2 ensured that the position estimates were accurate throughout the race. The team achieved a remarkable sub-5-centimeter position accuracy across the track. Impressively, their go-kart completed five laps in just 5 minutes and 48 seconds, setting a new record for the fastest time trial in AKS race history.
By leveraging the cutting-edge technology provided by Fixposition, the Autoware Team demonstrated how niche sensors can significantly elevate the performance of autonomous racing platforms.
Looking Ahead: A Growing Future for Autonomous Racing
The Autonomous Karting Series is just getting started. With its popularity and technological significance growing, the competition is poised to expand beyond Purdue University in the coming years. New race tracks and larger events will likely emerge, offering more teams the chance to test their innovations and push the limits of autonomous racing technology.
The Autoware Foundation is proud to be a supporter of AKS and is committed to working with the competition as it expands. We see tremendous educational and technological potential in the series, and with the success of the Autoware Team at UPenn, the benefits of the competition are clear. In fact, the UPenn team has open-sourced their entire vehicle design under the AV4EV platform, making it freely accessible to universities and enthusiasts worldwide. This includes detailed component specifications, drive-by-wire system design, and software architecture, creating a valuable resource for anyone looking to develop their autonomous go-kart platforms.
The open-sourced AV4EV design has already inspired many universities that are part of the Autoware Centers of Excellence initiative. By adopting this platform, students and faculty can avoid having to build everything from scratch, accelerating their research and participation in autonomous racing. We expect to see more AV4EV go-kart platforms racing on tracks worldwide, with teams not just competing but also learning from and sharing their experiences with one another.
As the competition grows and more teams get involved, the spirit of collaboration and innovation will continue to drive the AKS forward. The future of autonomous racing is bright, and we at the Autoware Foundation are excited to be part of this transformative journey.
