Driverless

About the team

The Driverless team is responsible for developing the autonomous system that will allow the car to drive without a human driver. In the Driverless team, we treat the car as a robot. Designing and implementing the algorithms required for autonomously navigating a race track is a challenge suited to a skilled group of programmers, but mechanical and electrical engineers are also vital for integrating the systems actuators and sensors on the car. A significant challenge for the electrical and mechanical engineers is the construction of a rules-compliant emergency brake system that can slow the car down to a rapid stop if things go wrong. 

This year, we are making a big investment into integrating the mechanical and electronic interfaces that the driverless system has on the car. We will also continue to develop our driverless software stack and make it more reliable.

This season, LiU Formula goes autonomous. If you are passionate about software, robotics and/or mechatronics, you have come to the right place. Apply now!

About the work and responsibilities

There are several areas of responsibility in the Driverless team. Here, I divide the responsibilities into five categories, beginning with three software modules.

Mechanical Integration

Mechanical integration of the driverless system includes tasks such as designing mountings for sensors and actuators, designing the actuated steering system for the car, as well as designing the emergency brake system (EBS). Producing the mountings for sensors in particular will involve plenty of 3D printing.

Software development

The software stack is split up into multiple modules, including perception, estimation, planning and control. The perception module gives the driverless system its eyes. By extracting features from data provided by perception sensors such as cameras and LiDARs, the system can make observations about its surroundings. Using the observations from perception, the estimation module allows the system to localize itself within a map that is either given beforehand, or must be determined while the car drives around the track. If the map is unknown, a planning module will produce a trajectory that is otherwise determined beforehand. Given the map from estimation and a trajectory, the control module is responsible for making sure the car follows its course by directly controlling the steering actuators and the motor(s).

The typical tasks for software engineers is reading about algorithms in research literature, implementing them, and then testing them out in a simulation environment or hardware.

Electronic Integration

Electronic integration of the driverless system includes tasks such as wiring and writing communication software for the steering controller and other actuators. It also includes designing the PCB and software logic for the emergency brake system.

During this season, electronic integration will be a project focused on research and development, but finished PCB designs may still be produced.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for driven and enthusiastic new members to the team. We are not expecting that anyone knows what to do from the first workshop or fits all the criteria we are looking for. Of course it is meritorious to have previous experience with similar projects but do not hesitate to apply for the team if you are a good team player, creative problem solver and want to learn new things.

Professional skills/competencies

The skills listed below are not mandatory, but meritorious. Feel free to apply even if you don’t have all skills listed for a specific task. Applicants interested in the software side of things should however have some experience with programming beforehand.

Mechanical Integration

• Mechanical design
• CAD
• Creating mechanical drawings
• Knowledge about hydraulic/pneumatic systems
• Ideally: finished a course within a relevant field. For example TMHP02
• 3D printing

Software

• C++ and/or C Programming
• Basic Linux experience
• Basic skills in linear algebra and geometry
• Camera vision experience

• Knowledge about probability theory, estimation theory, control theory
• Ideally: finished a course within a relevant field. For example TSRT14
• Likes to tinker with micro-controllers

Electronic Integration

• Analog electronics
• C programming
• PCB and electronic circuit design
• Soldering
• Likes to tinker with micro-controllers

Personal skills for all tasks

• Curious
• Passionate about engineering
• Good at communicating
• Team player
• Structured
• Problem solver

Application Process

If you believe you would fit the Driverless Team, please send us your application (in Swedish or English). Attach your CV and tell us why you would be a great fit for this team. 

LiU Formula Student may be a car association and it is always fun to work with people who share the same interests. However, you are of course welcome to apply to our association regardless of whether you are interested in cars or not.

The interviews will be held continuously during the recruitment period. If you have any questions regarding the recruitment process, please write to our HR team at hr@liuformulastudent.se. For specific questions about the team, reach out to the team leader for Driverless at jona.haggarde@liuformulastudent.se.

We are looking forward to hearing from you!