The goal of this competition is to engage students in hardware-software development of a self-driving car for racing. Teams of 2 to 4 students compete to build the fastest car and have one semester to prepare for the two races, when all cars, turn by turn, race to record the fastest time. The competition is directed to USC Viterbi master students regardless of their program or year, and junior and senior USC Viterbi undergraduate students. Sophomore undergraduate students are also welcome; however, the difficulty of this competition may be more appropriate for more experienced students. Students are not expected to have prior experience with self-driving cars. Teams will receive instructions how to assemble a car from scratch (hardware and electronics) and program the control algorithm of a self-driving car. All cars are built on the same platform and race against each other on the same track configuration, thus innovation and creativity is what counts.

To help the teams get started and provide support along the way, a series of workshops on embedded hardware and software concepts will be organized, along with optional weekly sessions where teams can work on their projects and interact with other teams. Though these workshops are meant to help the teams develop their car, outside work on the project will be necessary, since an exceptional car will require thoughtful optimization to excel. With these workshops as a starting place, teams are given the unique opportunity to apply their technical knowledge and creative abilities to a real-world situation.