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Autonomous Vehicle Challenge Workshop

The University of Central Arkansas

November 2, 2024

About

This free workshop is funded through a grant from the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium and aims at sharing experience from UCA's senior engineering design courses on how to develop an autonomous vehicle. Teachers will recieve 8hrs of official PD credit for this workshop and will take home their AI robot car! The workshop will be covering the following contents:

  1. Technical Content
    • Hosts will share the fundamentals of the AI-powered autopilot, BearCart.
    • Hosts will go over the part list and basic functions of the components employed by the BearCart project.
  2. Hands-on Experience
    • Hardware assembly: participants will assemble the RC car, including wiring and installing sensors, actuators and controllers.
    • Software setup: participants will configure the embedded computer and all the software required to run the BearCart project.
    • Test and tuning: participants will practice the data collection, model training and autopilot deployment process. Tweaking the hardware and software will be expected.
    • Final demonstration: participants will show off the AI autopilot on the track. (time permitting)
  3. Q & A
    • Participants will bring up questions, issues, concerns and ideas.

    4. The workshop will be held at the University of Central Arkansas on the first floor of the Conway Corporation Center for Sciences building. Google map: here campus map: here. If you have any questions please contact the workshop organizer: Will Slaton (wvslaton at uca.edu).

Meeting Schedule

Time Event Description
8:30 AM Check-in Coffee and donuts available
9:00 - 11:50AM Hands-on Technical Session Participants build and program the BearCart!
12:00 PM - 1:00PM Lunch Onsite lunch
1:00 - 1:50PM Keynote: Engineering Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Dr Jesse Butler, Dept of Philosophy & Religious Studies.
2:00 PM - 3:50PM Hands-on Technical Session Participants finish programming and start testing!
4:00 - 5:00 PM Live Demonstration! Participants test out their models on the course.
5:00 PM End  

Registration

Meeting registration is handled through a Google form link. Please make reservations by Friday, October 25th so we have an accurate headcount for catering lunch.