Lantao Liu and his student team push the boundaries of driverless-car technology with their Indiana University cream-and-crimson racer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The start of the Indianapolis 500 bombards the senses. Eardrum-rattling sounds, blurring sights, and organ-rumbling vibrations combine in a sensory deluge that must be experienced to be fully understood.

Thirty-three cars aligned in 11 rows of three come off Turn 4 and accelerate toward the start/finish line and the green flag. In the stands, the roar of more than 300,000 fans competes with the cacophony of turbo-charged engines revving up to produce as much as 750 horsepower of forward force. By the time the cars complete one two-and-a-half-mile circuit, speeds can approach 230 mph, all orchestrated by drivers riding on a razor’s edge between control and disaster.

Now take away the drivers.

That is the experience Indiana University associate professor Lantao Liu and his student team recently experienced during the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC). Liu is part of IU’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. He also directs the university’s Vehicle Autonomy and Intelligence Lab (VAIL), which was at the heart of the IAC effort.

That effort isn’t directed at taking the jobs of the highly skilled race car drivers of today or erasing the accomplishments of the historical icons of the sport — names like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Emerson Fittipaldi. Rather, Liu and his team of student researchers are working toward improving the safety and adoption of driverless street vehicles.

As Liu explains it, autonomous race cars operate at extreme speeds and require software that functions with even more extreme precision. That software must be highly optimized because racing depends not only on speed but on accuracy, with minimal margins separating victory from a catastrophic crash.

“Applying these principles to autonomous vehicles can significantly enhance their performance, efficiency, and safety,” Liu says. “The advancements in high-speed decision-making and optimization in racing can translate into improved responsiveness and reliability in everyday autonomous vehicles.”

While that might be the ultimate goal, that doesn’t mean there’s not fun to be had along the way.

‘This is something else’

The 2024 Indy Autonomous Challenge was held September. 6. A total of 10 teams with students from 19 schools competed to determine the world’s fastest autonomous car.

First on the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the IU Luddy team’s entrant. As thousands of fans watched, the cream-and-crimson vehicle that looked in all ways like a typical Indycar — save for the absence of a driver — made its way down pit lane and onto the track.

“If you haven’t seen this, folks, this is something else,” said well-known racing announcer and pit reporter Greg Creamer as the vehicle wound up to full speed. It was indeed just that — something else — for Liu and his team.

“Being on the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an extraordinary experience,” Liu says. “We watched with immense pride as our car completed high-speed laps, witnessing our hard work pay off.”

The IU Luddy team includes eight PhD students who lead various subteams to develop the systems for the car, as well as around a dozen master’s and undergraduate students. These students specialize in everything from intelligent systems engineering to computer science and informatics.

They also showed their ability to specialize within a short time frame. While some schools spent years working with their car, the IU Luddy team had a matter of weeks. But they didn't let that disadvantage slow them down.

The team spent a month testing and refining the car's software at the Kentucky Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. At the IAC, the students completed their three highest-speed laps ever with the car before safely returning it to its pit-lane stall. The fastest lap came in at an average of 124.767 mph.

It was a momentous accomplishment for the IU Luddy team.

“Some students said they wanted to cry after our car successfully returned,” Liu says.

‘Making a measurable impact’

Liu and his student team are not resting on their Indy success.

Liu is proud to see students who worked with VAIL move on to highly sought-after positions in the field. This is a testament to the rigor of their training and the practical relevance of their skills, Liu says.

Those students’ departure left positions open inside VAIL for new students to come in and keep the progress racing forward.

Liu’s short-term goal is for VAIL to take on new and exciting projects that address real-world challenges and prepare students for top-tier positions in academia, AI, robotics, and machine learning. Long term, Liu wants VAIL to be recognized not only in Indiana and nationally but also internationally as a center for applied AI-research that produces groundbreaking work to push the boundaries of scientific knowledge and address critical societal challenges.

Liu’s ultimate goal? To have VAIL alumni be influential leaders in the AI community, with their achievements continuing to inspire and shape the future of AI research and its positive contributions to society.

“I aim to cultivate a legacy of mentorship and collaboration within VAIL, creating an environment where students feel empowered to pursue ambitious research initiatives,” Liu says. “I envision VAIL as a hub where innovative solutions are developed for real-world applications, making a measurable impact on industry and society.”