Seattle Startup Provides Core Software Component for Autonomous Indy Challenge Team

BELLEVUE, Wash., July 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gaia Platform is working closely with AI Racing Tech and the University of Hawai?i to support the development of the team's race decision engine on their Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) Dallara AV-21 racecar. The Gaia framework provides a low-code programming environment for applications at the edge.

The inaugural running of the Indy Autonomous Challenge is currently scheduled for Oct. 23, 2021. This is the world's first high-speed autonomous race, including 40 universities from around the world participating. The IAC includes a $1 million purse to the winning team, $250,000 for 2nd Place, and additional prizes for winners of the hackathons and simulation races. 

Gaia Platform is providing a critical software component and support for the development of the Race Decision Engine, which serves as the strategic and tactical brain of the racecar. All IAC teams are provided the same base autonomous racecar, the Dallara AV-21, the deciding factor being the team developing the best race strategy and decisions. For AI Racing Tech these decisions will be made efficiently and robustly by the Gaia software. 

"With the inclusion of the Gaia software, we are able to specify our race strategy, and quickly modify and fine-tune our tactics. We're able to do this in real-time by leveraging their industrial-based low-code development platform for autonomous machines," stated Gary Passon, Team Principal, AI Racing Tech. 

"Working with Gary at AI Racing Tech and his team has allowed us to start pushing the limits of our platform's performance. It has given us the opportunity to learn about writing a policy-based system backed by an active database in a mission-critical environment," Dax Hawkins, Gaia Lead Software Engineer. 

Besides providing the software platform, Gaia is also participating as one of the key sponsors for the AI Racing Tech team. GAIA Platform is based in Bellevue, WA and provides a programming environment for industrial teams who will deliver the next generation of apps at the edge. Automation, autonomy, and Industrial IoT solutions are complex, but Gaia makes them easier to build with its low-code approach. For more information, see www.gaiaplatform.io.

Media Contact
Don Glover
[email protected]

Related Images

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Dallara-produced AV-21
The Official Vehicle that all Indy Autonomous Challenge Teams must use is the Dallara-produced AV-21 that has been retrofitted with hardware and controls to enable automation.

SOURCE Gaia Platform