<aside> 🏎️ Note: We are migrating websites! The current Notion website will soon be deprecated. Check out our new site here: sites.mit.edu/mit-racecar

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Getting Started

Materials for getting started with RACECAR are linked below. We recommend starting with the simulator as an amiable approach to RACECAR. The typical progression for going through RACECAR as a student can be described as follows:

1. Simulator Setup (30+ minutes): On a compatible computer, set up the simulator and play with the RACECAR in the virtual environment. [FREE]
2. Virtual Course (1+ weeks): Take one of our virtual course options (outreach/prereq) to learn the conceptual material and high-level functions that drive the RACECAR. [FREE]
3. Building a Physical Car (8+ hours): Purchase components from the BOM and construct a physical RACECAR. [~$1000]
4. Physical Course (1+ weeks): Take one of our course options that work with a physical car (outreach/prereq) to learn how to drive and control the physical RACECAR [FREE]
5. Going Further: Use the RACECAR Neo platform to achieve your goals. Whether it is to teach a course, to complete a research project, or to bring it outside and drive around, the possibilities are endless!

Getting Started

For Teachers

Materials for teachers and instructors that want to adapt RACECAR for their own class, course, or club/organization. Please email [email protected] for access to the Edly curriculum.

Note 1: We currently support three tiers of curriculum for various course types and events. Please see below for details:

• Oneshot: Three labs, geared towards quick events and short classes. Focuses on showcasing RACECAR features rather than in-depth instruction.
• Outreach: Seven labs with one final challenge, created for 9th to 10th grade high school students. A gentle introduction to Python programming and robotics using a blend of thought-provoking lecture questions, hands-on labs with the simulator, and a final challenge to put it all together.
• Prereq: Six labs, created for preparing students for the BWSI Autonomous RACECAR summer program (11th - 12th grade difficulty). A more advanced course concentrating on robotic theory and operation, introducing computer vision and control theory, and preparing fundamental math and physics concepts for use in real-world robotic systems.

Note 2: Two tiers of curriculum are currently undergoing development and will be released late 2024.

• Main: Six challenging hands-on labs with one final event, used as the main driving factor in the full BWSI Autonomous RACECAR program (12th grade - early college difficulty). Students work in groups to develop innovative solutions to solve problems such as noisy sensor data, hardware faults, and dynamic obstacles.
• Research: A course meant to guide students that have graduated from the summer program on a research trajectory, using the RACECAR platform to solve challenging problems in the real world.

For Teachers

Legacy Material