What is F1TENTH?
F1TENTH is an autonomous robotics competition in which teams compete by
developing self-driving algorithms for a one-tenth scale autonomous race car.
Since teams use the same cars, the competition is centered around optimizing
these algorithms to navigate around a randomized racetrack in minimum time. In
partnership with UCSC’s Cyber-Physical Systems Research Center, Slugbotics
members in the F1TENTH competition apply technologies such as LIDAR/SLAM, ROS,
Rviz, and Gazebo to develop their car.
How does the F1TENTH Competition work?
To prepare for competition students learn about ROS through interactive labs
which primes them for learning about the perception, planning and control of the
car. Using that knowledge, members develop complex algorithms that take
advantage of the various sensors available to reliably race around a given
track. Competitions take place around the world, where teams compete in time
trials to qualify and seed for the Grand Prix where the vehicles are pit against
each other in head to head battles.
What do students gain from the F1TENTH competition?
Through participating in F1TENTH, students will gain experience with tools that
are fundamental to the robotics and autonomous sensing industries, such as ROS
and Gazebo, and discover the mathematical underpinnings behind these
technologies. Further, members can delve deeper into core autonomous systems
concepts such as perception through sensors, path planning, autonomous
navigation, control systems, robotics simulation, and applying simulation to
hardware projects.
