A team of undergraduate engineering students has created a solar-powered, self-driving car at the Canadian University in Dubai. The main goal of developing this car was for commuting between the university’s two campuses in City Walk.
The design and development of this solar car were carried out by 22 final-year students from the university’s engineering, applied science, and technology departments.
They split into five teams, each focusing on a particular part of the process, which included steering, braking, bodywork design, material selection, and suspension system development.
Feras Usmani, an electrical engineering and mechatronics student, stated that one of the biggest hurdles was combining all the systems into a functional car.
He pointed out that it required careful synchronization of the steering system and the central processing unit. He credited their professors’ guidance, the students’ effective teamwork, and solid engineering skills for the success of the project.
One team managed the car’s central processing design, which controlled the vehicle and processed inputs from the camera and Lidar system sensors – the car’s brain, so to speak.
Another team focused on powering the onboard electronic devices. They utilized a rooftop photovoltaic panel that charged the car’s battery and delivered a 60-volt power supply.
Malak Osama, a mechatronics student, discussed the value of working in a diverse team. She found the project enriching and believes it has improved her programming and engineering skills.
The UAE is a global leader in the adoption of autonomous vehicle technology. In Abu Dhabi, after rigorous testing, Txai launched an autonomous service in December 2021.
Chinese firm WeRide expects to have hundreds of self-driving cars on UAE roads by 2025. In Dubai, a fleet of electric cars is mapping the city for future autonomous vehicles, with a partnership between the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and US firm Cruise expected to yield ten driverless taxis by year’s end.
