CAuDri-Challenge 2023
Teams, organizers, and volunteers celebrating the successful completion of the first CAuDri Challenge

CAuDri-Challenge 2023

Student teams pushed the boundaries of autonomous driving at the inaugural CAuDri Challenge, where miniature self-driving cars went head-to-head in demanding test scenarios. Five teams showcased their engineering prowess through 1:10 scale vehicles, tackling challenges from basic navigation to complex tasks like interpreting traffic signs and maneuvering around obstacles.

After the initial idea in February in Ulm and months of tireless work, the first Cognitive Autonomous Driving Challenge took place in Stuttgart on October 7, 2023. Hungry for a test of strength after exhausting years of online competition and the unfortunate end of the Carolo Cup in Braunschweig, the five teams from Aachen, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Ulm and Wolfsburg were now able to meet in person again and compete against each other with their autonomous model vehicles.

  • Team GalaXIs from RWTH Aachen with their vehicle
  • Spatzenhirn team's autonomous car from University of Ulm
  • The winning vehicle from KITcar team
  • e.Wolf team's vehicle from Ostfalia University
Aerial view of the CAuDri Challenge race track

The competition track at DHBW Stuttgart featuring various autonomous driving challenges

In the new building of the Faculty of Technology at DHBW Stuttgart, a venue was found that offered space for a brand new competition track with all imaginable scenarios and a second test track for parallel last-minute fixes and tests.

The rules for the first CAuDri Challenge were largely adopted from the last Carolo Cup, but with some simplifications to reduce the effort for everyone. The Basic and Master Cups were merged and the static disciplines were omitted. Instead we presented our cars at the beginning of the event, pointing out changes and talking about challenges we encountered. The competition was also held on just one day, please see the timetable below.

Agenda

  • 10:00 : Welcome
  • 10:30 : Team presentation
  • 11:00 : Test drives
  • 12:30 : Lunch break
  • 14:00 : Warm-up
  • 16:00 : Competition
    • Freedrive Course
    • Obstacle Evasion Course
  • 18:00 : Award ceremony

After the teams arrived early, everybody worked together to set up the location. The test tracks were soon set up and the vehicles were on the road. Volunteers, mostly alumni from the teams, were instructed to act as referees, each covering a part of the track and penalizing errors as per the rules. After some testing and obligatory last minute bug fixing we came together for pizza and used the time catch up and brag to each other about new approaches and components we came up in friendly and inspiring manner.

Before the actual competition, each team was given the opportunity to do a final test run on the competition track.

Results

Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural CAuDri Challenge 2023:

  • 🥇 First Place: Team KITcar (KIT Karlsruhe)
  • 🥈 Second Place: Team Spatzenhirn (University of Ulm)

  • 🥉 Third Place: Team e.Wolf (Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Wolfsburg)

  • Fourth Place: Team GalaXIs (RWTH Aachen)

  • Fifth Place: Team Smart Rollerz (DHBW Stuttgart)

Acknowledgments

This event wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of many individuals and organizations:

  • The organizing team: Yannik, Marc, Max, Jakob, Niko, David and Jonas who handled everything from venue logistics to sponsorships
  • Our partners at Bosch and their invaluable contribution.
  • Karlsruhe Mobility KAMO for their financial support.
  • DHBW Stuttgart for providing an excellent venue
  • All volunteer referees and helpers
  • The participating teams and their supporting institutions

The success of the first CAuDri Challenge has set a strong foundation for future competitions. We look forward to seeing everyone again at the next event, where we’ll continue pushing the boundaries of autonomous driving technology together!

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