Race cars capable of going at 300km/h whizzed around Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit in April as they competed for a piece of a staggering US$2.25 million (S$3 million) prize pot. The catch? No actual drivers were involved. Taking the wheels were artificial intelligence (AI) drivers coded by teams around the world, including one built by a 20-member NTU team led by Assoc Prof Holden Li and Assoc Prof Lyu Chen from the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. With no help from their human counterparts, the AI drivers duked it out on their own, making all on-track decisions, such as overtaking, by themselves. In the end, the real winner was autonomous technology, with the event showcasing its evolution and its potential in improving road safety.

This story was published in the Mar-Apr 2024 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.