The roar of engines in autonomous race cars returned to the Las Vegas Speedway on a blustery, cold Thursday. The now annual Indy Autonomous Challenge, or IAC, at CES kicked off with a familiar format: a thrilling head-to-head dual competition, where AI drivers — and their human programmers — would engage in a captivating game of catch and pass lap after lap, mirroring the competition of previous years.
The Indy Autonomous Challenge started in October 2021. Since then, the event organizers have expanded its format, and the university teams have set multiple speed records for land-based autonomous vehicles. IAC said it is a testbed for cutting-edge technologies that promise to improve autonomy for all vehicles.
The autonomous vehicle event started at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and has expanded to events in Europe. The IAC has found a home in Las Vegas during the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), attracting high-tech aficionados …