WATonomous is a student design team aiming to bring an electric vehicle to Level 4 Autonomy, as part of the SAE AutoDrive Challenge. The competition is three years long, with the first year of competition ending in April 2018. We are the largest student design team on the University of Waterloo campus, with over 150 passionate students.
Currently, I am one of the software project managers, overseeing the software development required for the vehicle. I manage a body of 50+ students, making high-level decisions with regards to software tasks. This includes technical tasks such as structuring the data pipeline and research on autonomous vehicles, as well as managerial tasks such as ensuring all sub-teams are on track with term milestones. Some of the tools I'm using for management and software development include GitLab and Pivotal Tracker. I am also teaching members to use Robot Operating System (ROS).
Throughout this experience I've gained a breadth of knowledge on the subject of self-driving cars and mobile robotics. Some of the development teams I'm leading include path-planning, localization and mapping, object perception, prediction and more. To lead the team effectively, I've become well acquainted with the algorithms involved in these tasks, as well as the required sensors and hardware. I'm excited to be involved in this competition, and plan to continue working on the project throughout my undergraduate career.