A new technical partnership has been announced that will see Marelli become the exclusive race control technology sponsor of the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC). Under the agreement, Marelli will supply the fully autonomous race cars with advanced technology that will ensure the vehicles have a reliable connection, race control and data analysis, and will also provide technical support.
The IAC is a race series that sees full-scale autonomous race cars driven/controlled by software programmed by international engineering and technology university teams. The Marelli technologies will be delivered through its advanced connectivity system – the Smart Antenna LTE. The small device will be installed on each competing car to provide a reliable, high-quality communication between the vehicle and the control systems using a public mobile network.
In addition, an advanced race control software has also been developed by Marelli for the IAC for monitoring and managing races. The system provides accurate supervision of autonomous race cars during competitions to enhance both safety and performance levels. Furthermore, Marelli will provide its WinTAX data analysis system package to support the interpretation and processing of data.
“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,” said 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 race 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 on board to help us push the limits of autonomous driving.”