California Institute of Technology joins the Indy Autonomous Challenge, World’s Fastest Autonomous Racing Program

PRESS RELEASE: Indianapolis IN / Pasadena, CA 08/22/2024 - The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC), the research program behind the world’s fastest autonomous racecar, is honored to welcome the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as its 10th participating university team. Caltech is renowned for its leadership in robotics and control, autonomous systems, and AI and is home to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

The newly formed team, Caltech Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST) Racer, is under the leadership of three distinguished faculty members:

• Dr. Soon-Jo Chung: Bren Professor of Control and Dynamical Systems; JPL Senior Research Scientist, serving as the Team Principal for CAST Racer.

• Dr. Fred Y. Hadaegh: Research Professor in Aerospace at Caltech and Senior Research Scientist and Technical Fellow at JPL, formerly JPL’s Chief Technologist.

• Dr. Mory Gharib: Hans W. Liepmann Professor of Aeronautics and Medical Engineering; Director of the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories; and the Director and Booth-Kresa Leadership Chair, Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies

With CAST Racer’s entry, the IAC now boasts 10 university teams, making it the largest autonomous racing program worldwide. CAST Racer is proudly supported by Beyond Limits, a pioneering force in hybrid artificial intelligence platforms. This partnership demonstrates the potential technology transfer and commercialization value of the AI driver software being developed and validated on the IAC’s AV-24 robotics platform.

Paul Mitchell, Chairman and President of the IAC: “We are thrilled to have Caltech join the paddocks of the IAC. The faculty and students involved are global leaders in robotics and control, autonomous systems, and AI so they will quickly get up to speed with the world’s fastest autonomous racecars. CAST Racer’s partnership with Beyond Limits reflects the huge potential autonomous racing offers in the development and validation of AI driver software that increasingly uses machine learning to manage edge-case driving situations.”

Dr. Soon-Jo Chung, Team Leader of CAST Racer: “We are excited to participate in the IAC. This unique opportunity allows Caltech to showcase our advancements in AI and robotics on a global platform. Caltech and its alumni are deeply woven into the fabric of “technology innovations from racing”; the Great Electric Car Race of 1968 and the SunRaycer that won the 1987 World Solar Challenge are good examples of our past contributions. Collaborating with other top-tier institutions from around the world in such a competitive and innovative environment aligns perfectly with our commitment to pioneering future technologies.”

AJ Abdallat, CEO of Beyond Limits AI: “Supporting CAST Racer in the IAC underscores our commitment to advancing industrial-grade AI technology in dynamic, real-world scenarios. We believe this collaboration will push the boundaries of autonomous vehicle technology and demonstrate the practical applications of neuro-symbolic hybrid AI platforms in addressing complex challenges.”

CAST Racer will begin working with their AV-24 racecar immediately joining the other 9 university teams which have conducted weeks of testing leading up to the Indy Autonomous Challenge race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on September 6. For more information on this event or to purchase tickets visit www.indyautonomouschallenge.com/ims  

About the IAC: The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) is a non-profit corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana (USA) that organizes racing competitions among 10 university-affiliated teams representing 18 universities from around the world. Teams program AI drivers to pilot fully autonomous racecars and compete in a series of history-making events at iconic tracks. The IAC is working to establish a hub for performance automation in the state and is harnessing the power of innovative competitions to attract the best and the brightest minds from around the globe to further state-of-the-art technology in the safety and performance of autonomous vehicles. The IAC started as a $1 million prize competition with 31 university teams signing up to compete more than three years ago, representing top engineering and technology programs from 15 U.S. states and 11 countries. Follow the IAC @IndyAChallenge on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, & YouTube.  

About Caltech: The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is a world-renowned science and engineering Institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions and pressing societal challenges. Caltech's extraordinary faculty and students are expanding our understanding of the universe and inventing the technologies of the future, with research interests from quantum science and engineering to bioinformatics and the nature of life itself, from human behavior and economics to energy and sustainability. The Institute manages the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for NASA, sending probes to explore the planets of our solar system and quantify changes on our home planet; owns and operates large-scale research facilities around the globe; and is at the center of technological innovation, engineering, and discovery with state-of-the art instrumentation and research facilities, such as the Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST). At CAST, researchers from Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) collaborate to create the next generation of autonomous systems, advancing the fields of autonomous vehicles, autonomous exploration, and robotic systems.

About Beyond Limits: Beyond Limits is an industrial-grade, Hybrid AI company that optimizes operations, boosts efficiency, and increases productivity for demanding industries. The company’s Hybrid AI Platform takes a neuro-symbolic approach combining human knowledge with operational content to deliver explainable solutions. Beyond Limits leverages advanced technology developed at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA space missions. For more information, visit www.beyond.ai  or contact us at sales@beyond.ai.

Contact Information For media inquiries, please contact: