Marelli will be the exclusive race control technology sponsor of the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC), the world's first-ever, head-to-head autonomous racing competition.
The technical partnership for connectivity solutions has been signed, based on which Marelli will supply, to all IAC fully autonomous race cars, technologies to ensure vehicle connection, race control, and data analysis and will also provide technical support.
The announcement is made on the eve of the next IAC exhibition, which will be held at Monza during the Milan Monza Motor Show (MIMO) which will run from 16 to 18 June.
The IAC is a series of competitions among full-scale autonomous racing cars, driven by software programmed by top engineering and technology university teams from around the world, that compete on iconic tracks. A primary goal of the IAC is to advance technology for fully autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).
Organized by Energy Systems Network, IAC university teams from around the world compete in a series of challenges to advance technology that can speed the commercialization of fully autonomous vehicles and deployments of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to increase safety and performance. The competitions are a platform for students to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
21 universities from 9 countries forming 9 teams have programmed Dallara AV-21 autonomous cars to compete in a series of IAC competitions.
The IAC Dallara AV-21 is the most technologically advanced, fastest autonomous race car ever assembled with a bullet-proof package of equipment, including a host of lidar, radar and optical cameras sensors, converging with screamingly quick on-board rugged-edge computing and communications, coupled with cutting-edge artificial intelligence algorithms.
Marelli will provide essential technologies to all competing cars through one of its advanced connectivity systems, the Smart Antenna LTE. This compact device, installed on the vehicles, ensures reliable and high-quality communication between autonomous cars and control systems, leveraging the public mobile network provided by a global telecommunications operator.
Marelli has also developed for the IAC an innovative race control software for monitoring and managing the races. The system enables precise supervision of autonomous racing cars during competitions, ensuring maximum safety and performance optimization.
Furthermore, Marelli will provide the comprehensive WinTAX data analysis system package, offering essential support for interpreting and processing data collected during the races. This will enable participating universities to gain valuable insights into the performance of autonomous cars and continuously improve their driving algorithms.
The company will offer specialized training sessions to university teams for a full understanding of the features and potential of Marelli systems for the IAC. A highly qualified technical support team will also be available to address any needs and assist the IAC throughout the development and racing process.
"We are thrilled to apply our expertise in telemetry to the innovative front of autonomous racing vehicles" said Riccardo De Filippi, Head of Marelli Motorsport. "We have a long tradition in supplying connectivity technologies for the main motorsport championships worldwide and are always willing to push innovation ahead with solutions that combine performance and safety. Therefore, we immediately recognized the potential of this partnership as a fertile environment for technological development."
"With a track record of innovation and excellence, Marelli is exactly the kind of partner we need and want as our exclusive race control technology provider," added Paul Mitchell, president, Indy Autonomous Challenge. "Marelli technology will allow IAC to develop a highly automated race control system that can marshal our university teams AI drivers.
"This level of real-time communication and automated instructions between race control and the cars will be a first of its kind and will demonstrate an extra level of safety for AV and ADAS systems. We are excited to have Marelli onboard to help us push the limits of autonomous driving."
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