Wireless and AI fuel autonomous self-driving revolution at #CES2024
Racing is exciting. Cheering the drivers taking their race cars around the track at breakneck speeds. But what if there were no drivers? That’s right. Autonomous self-driving race cars are here, and they are being showcased at CES 2024. Indy Autonomous Challenge will show off their self-driving cars at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and at a booth in the Automotive Hall at CES.
Indy Autonomous Challenge or IAC illustrates the power, speed and precision of autonomous driving to such an extent that it’s like watching a Hollywood movie. Except, it’s all real!
Tech like wireless and AI fuel autonomous driving at CES2024
Recently, I spoke with Paul Mitchell, who heads up Indy Autonomous Challenge as chairman and president. This is a non-profit organization that works with a growing number and variety of brand name companies in this space.
Based in Indianapolis Indiana along with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy Autonomous Challenge organizes racing competition among college affiliated teams representing 17 Universities from around the world to program fully autonomous race cars and compete in a series of history-making events at iconic racetracks.
5G wireless and AI are an important part of autonomous driving mix
The IAC is working to establish a hub for performance automation in Indiana and is harnessing the power of innovative competitors to attract the best and brightest minds to further this technology.
Just like autonomous driving on city roads, a wide variety of technologies can be used to make the magic happen.
They use new technology and imagination as a great way to showcase what our lives will look like tomorrow.
Depending on the case, that means technology like 5G wireless with its high speed and low latency. This lets the car stay in touch with the base station, or with other cars, or with sensors in the track or the road, and so on.
Cisco, Luminar, Continental, dSPACE, NI, Bridgestone all work with IAC
In the city, our cars are connected using 5G wireless and other technology to satellites, to roadway sensors, to nearby cars and more all so our car knows how fast to drive and what’s around the corner.
These technologies connect the cars and give them a road map when they are on the road using artificial intelligence and a wide variety of different technologies.
Some companies and technologies working with IAC are Luminar for LiDAR, Continental for 4D Radar, dSPACE for the central computer, Cisco for networking and communication, NI for hardware in the loop simulation and Bridgestone for smart tires.
Autonomous driving focus from Qualcomm, Nvidia, IBM, Waymo and more
Many companies keep me in the loop regarding advancement in autonomous driving. And there are many companies in this autonomous space like Qualcomm, Nvidia, Tesla, General Motors, Ford, IBM, Waymo and so many others, both large and small.
We’ve been talking about autonomous driving or self-driving cars for quite a while. Part of this technology is live today. Other parts are still being developed. So, this is a work in progress.
Over time, I have been driven around Las Vegas and other cities by self-driving cars. That was an experience, and I can see how this technology has continued to improve over time.
It seems like time, recognition and continually advancing technology makes it safer and more accurate with every year that passes.
Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners shows city of tomorrow, today
Separately, I have also visited with leaders of the Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners in Georgia. Similar to the Indy Autonomous Challenge, they work with a wide variety of large and small companies in the wireless and technology space, experimenting on and building a smart city of the future.
There is a wide variety of technology being developed to control the smart house and the smart city. And yes, I was even driven around by an autonomous vehicle at the Curiosity Lab as well.
AI and autonomous technology are truly astounding. It is what companies and government leadership believe our lives and the communities we live and work in will look like tomorrow.
Getting from here to there takes plenty of time, money and ingenuity. Something there seems to be plenty of if we just look around us.
Investors need to better understand autonomy, AI and IoT
Today, we are still in the very early days of this exciting new technological revolution.
Investors want to better understand this technology and where it is heading so they know which companies and technologies to invest in.
Long-term, while the winners and losers may change over time, autonomous driving and smart cities are with us for the long-term.
Indy Autonomous Challenge shows off what tomorrow will look like as the technology continues to advance.
As it continues to grow and mature over time, it also continues to work with and partner with a growing number of companies and their ever-advancing autonomous driving technologies.
I will keep watching this company and others along with their mind-blowing technologies and the entire autonomous, AI, IoT and wireless space to show you what I learn about what tomorrow will look like.
