WVU F1Tenth team places second in international competition

The WVU F1Tenth team including left to right Rukesh Prajapati, Austin Brown, Joseph Black and Amr El-Wakeel proudly display their car, second place certificate and trophy in front of Niagra Falls in Canada. (WVU Photo supplied)

When the objective is to build and program a 1:10 scaled race car, minimize laptime, race head-to-head, and cross the finish line without crashing, one might think it’s simple, right? Not when it has to be completed autonomously. 

Story by Paige Nesbit, Director of Marketing and Communications
Photos by F1Tenth Team

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Competing at the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Smart Mobility, held from Sept. 16 - 18 in Niagara Falls, ON, Canada, the WVU team was matched against students, researchers, and industry professionals, completing two qualification rounds.

The team's rankings for the qualifying phase were determined by two scores: the total number of consecutive laps completed during a 10-minute run and the fastest lap time recorded in a subsequent 10-minute period. This set the stage for a head-to-head race, where final scoring determined the overall competition rankings.  

“One particularly thrilling moment occurred during the training session on the first day when our WVU Mountaineer car completed forty-four consecutive laps without a single crash in just ten minutes — a record for our car,” explained said Amr El-Wakeel, faculty advisor and assistant professor of the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. “This achievement filled us with optimism for the qualifying phase.” 

In addition to building a simultaneous localization and mapping algorithm to navigate the track, the team developed an algorithm that enabled the car to detect and respond to sharp turns and implemented an obstacle avoidance feature, allowing the car to navigate around objects placed in its path and complete the track smoothly. 

“However, on the second day of the race, we encountered a challenge when our computer board malfunctioned,” El-Wakeel, said. “After some troubleshooting, we managed to resolve the issue and successfully qualified for the head-to-head race phase. In the end, we proudly secured second place in the competition!” 

Although placement in the competition was rewarding, the significance of trouble-shooting and real-world applications proved to be valuable. 

“Another interesting experience was realizing the impact of aerodynamics,” explained Rukesh Prajapati, team lead and graduate student in computer engineering. “We initially designed a simple 3D-printed box for detection, but removing it later revealed that its presence had actually helped balance the car during turns, highlighting how even small design elements can make a difference.” 

According to El-Wakeel, the F1Tenth race offers our undergraduate or graduate students an excellent opportunity to bridge the gap between theory and practical application through experiential learning — gaining foundational knowledge in perception, path planning, control and artificial intelligence. 

As a first-year computer engineering student in the research apprenticeship program, Rashaan Clay gained an understanding of control systems, path planning, computer vision along with practical experience in how automation functions within software environments.

“I have also learned the importance of effective communication and coordination while collaborating with larger teams, which has enhanced my ability to contribute to complex, multi-faceted projects,” Clay explained. 

The eight members of the F1Tenth team who applied these skills and technology, consisted of team leaders and graduate students, Prajapati, computer engineering, and Mohamed Elgouhary, electrical engineering. Participating undergraduates included computer engineering students, Joseph Black, Joshua Smith, and Clay, computer science student Piolo Anjelo Pascual and electrical engineering students Austin Brown and Gabriel Turak. 

“We are hopeful that the experience we gained, and our strong finish — coming in second to the reigning champions of the IEEE IROS and IEEE ICRA — will help us secure industrial sponsorships and partnerships for future racing activities,” El-Wakeel stated. “We look forward to showcasing our WVU Mountaineer (F1Tenth Autonomous Racecar) and racing at the IEEE 2025 ICRA in May 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia!"