Chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor India Pvt Ltd organized the race in India for the first time with previous races having been held in China, Malaysia and Malaysia. The company, which promises to make it an annual affair in India, gave the students the car parts, chips and asked the participants to write code that would control the object sensor, steering and speed control of the driver-less cars.

The cars sans a remote control can trace the racing track using sensors and micro controllers. The smart cars follow a line, slow down at turns and aims to reverse and get back on track when they slip from the defined track. The use of self-guided vehicles is used in cruise control in passenger cars and auto-pilot in aeronautics.

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Amit Ranjan, 19 a second year Btech student of electrical engineering of Thapar University who took part in the race says, “I knew nothing about micro controllers…I had to learn everything while building the car.” Ranjan used C programming and worked with sensors, micro processors and motors to programme the car. Ranjan believes his experience will help him design microprocessors, which are used in a plethora of gadgets from burglar alarms to automobiles.

Krishanth TJ, a fourth year Btech student of electronics and communications at PSG College of Engineering, Coimbatore says this competition helps reduce the industry-institution gap. “We get to know what’s happening in the industry,” says the 21 year old who hopes to land a job in the automotive sector.