22 Aug Wisconsin Autonomous wins 2nd Place in year 4 of the SAE Autodrive Challenge II
This summer, UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Autonomous team made headlines—earning an impressive 2nd place finish in Year 4 of the SAE Autodrive Challenge II. Competing against top engineering schools from across North America (7 universities from the US and 2 from Canada), the team showcased cutting-edge research, advanced software integration, and the spirit of Badger engineering excellence.
The SAE Autodrive Challenge II is a multi-year competition, hosted by SAE International and GM, where select schools work to transform a Chevrolet Bolt into an autonomous vehicle. Each year the goals get progressively harder as teams construct and consider the variety of elements it takes to build a self-driving car. Although the competition has guidelines and specific parameters, teams have the freedom to choose the number and type of perception (i.e. cameras, lidar, radar, etc.) devices they want to use. Unique to UW-Madison’s vehicle, the team opted for low-cost radar units, which are not only cost-effective, but also demonstrate high functionality doesn’t always require high cost.