During the 2019 Formula Student, Europe’s educational engineering competition, Velodyne Lidar, Inc. contributed sensors to 20 university teams across Europe. The students used Velodyne lidar technology in powering the autonomous vehicles (AV) they built and placed into competitions throughout Europe.

Student teams selected Velodyne Puck, Puck Hi-Res and Ultra Puck sensors in their AV development. Among the Formula Student events where teams with Velodyne lidar competed were the Silverstone circuit in Northampton, U.K., Fiorano circuit in Maranello, Italy, and Formula 1 circuit area near Hockenheim, Germany. This year in Hockenheim, 19 teams participated in the driverless challenge. The AMZ Racing Team from ETH Zürich dominated the Hockenheim event, winning the driverless competition powered by Velodyne sensors.

“Through Formula Student competitions, next-generation engineers learn how lidar 3D perception powers autonomous vehicles,” said Erich Smidt, executive director Europe, Velodyne Lidar. “It is a privilege for our company to work with these remarkable students as they reinvent automotive technology.”

The Formula Student competition aims to develop enterprising and innovative young engineers and encourage more young people to take up a career in engineering. Each year, university teams from around the globe compete in static and dynamic events that test their preparation and hard work.

“Participating in the Formula Student competition gives students hands-on experience in many different areas including in the development of autonomous vehicles,” said Christian Guba, head of department perception and environment modeling 2019, TU Darmstadt Racing Team e.V. “Lidar sensors play an important role in driverless vehicles and help us to improve our skills in perception algorithms.”