On April 27, Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi will become a hub for groundbreaking AI technology in motorsport. The debut of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) will mark a significant milestone for the integration of AI into racing. Managed by ASPIRE of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), this event combined high-velocity racing with state-of-the-art AI.
Eight international teams will compete in the A2RL, commanding the SF23 car, designed uniquely for the league. The teams will compete for a US $2.25 million prize and they will all race an SF23 car, specially modified for A2RL. The driverless cars are identical and are differentiated only by the AI code each team will have developed. The event’s aim is to showcase autonomous technology’s evolution and its potential in improving road safety.
“While it may look fairly similar from a distance, the modifications done to the SF23 racecars used in A2RL are extensive. All race cars in A2RL use a drive-by-wire system that replicates human inputs. This system employs actuators for the steering, braking, and gear shifting, eliminating the need for a physical driver. These actuators are all controlled by the onboard computer,” says Stephane Timpano, CEO at ASPIRE, “The next major modification is the vast array of sensor technologies that will allow the machine learning algorithms to ‘see’ and develop situational awareness – including radar, lidar, cameras, and GPS.”
AI was a core component for the vehicles, “AI is the only way that the vehicles can be controlled on track. The development of the algorithms that will interpret data and make ‘decisions’ on the track while racing is entirely up to the teams, beyond the basic functionality that we will provide. The software itself is comprised of various modules that will be used to understand what the vehicle is doing and what it should do next,” Timpano says.
The challenges the teams had to overcome were myriad, according to Timpano, “When you think about all the intuition and minuscule actions and decisions that drivers make instinctively, there is a lot for these systems to understand and work with. That includes tactile feedback from the environment like grip levels, g loads, and suspension movement to give the AI a complete picture of its dynamic situation. Perhaps most important of all is the planning module, which allows the racecar to prioritize objectives and strategize during the race. As you can imagine, it is extremely complex,” he said.
Parallel to the main event, the A2RL STEM Program aims to ignite engineering and coding passions in youth. This initiative, in partnership with YAS In Schools and Autonoma Labs, invited students from various UAE institutions and an international team to program and race autonomous scale racecars in a miniature celebration of the SF23 races. Programming these cars, which can reach speeds of 100 km/h, offered practical technology experience. The program will culminate in a race at the A2RL Fan Zone which will take place on 27 April, the same day as the full size race, and the students will showcase their skills with the one-eighth-scale electric racecars, demonstrating advanced programming and strategic planning.
“To meet the challenges of humanity’s future, we must inspire, nurture, and invest in, the next generation of STEM talent. We have been thrilled with the engagement and excitement of students in response to our A2RL STEM Program. It is an exhilarating and practical way to teach, learn, and discover some of the fundamental technologies behind autonomous vehicles and the fast-paced world of motorsport,” said Timpano.
The A2RL event at Yas Marina Circuit on 27 April will represent a milestone in extreme autonomous racing, merging technology with human potential and setting a foundation for future technological advancements in motorsport and beyond. It symbolizes not only current achievements but also a promising future for young scientists, engineers, and racing enthusiasts in the field of AI technology.
