SAE International offers technical training to understand and develop AV systems in the automotive industry.
SAE International has sponsored this post.
Every day, more and more products are being designed to operate autonomously—everything from kids toys to large, complex production machines and equipment—and in particular, vehicles such as cars and trucks and drone aircraft.
This means that the design and development of autonomous vehicle systems is one of the fastest-growing fields in engineering and data science, and one that is at the leading edge of technology.
An autonomous vehicle in itself is not a standalone entity; rather, autonomous vehicles are a collection of systems for sensing and operation which work together to safely navigate and operate the vehicle. These systems include sensors such as LiDAR, radar, cameras and computers to process and make sense of sensor data. Today, many algorithms running on those computers also use artificial intelligence. SAE International defines six levels of driving automation in its J3016 “Levels of Driving Automation” standard, from Level Zero which can include basic driver assistance but no autonomy, to Level 5 which involves full autonomy of the vehicle under all conditions.
Currently, most commercially available vehicles are still in the range of Level 2, with driver assistance packages such as lane monitoring and adaptive braking or adaptive cruise control. However, the march toward Level 5 continues, being led by startups and large automotive OEMs alike, which means an increasing need for automotive engineers with the skills and knowledge to develop the future of autonomous mobility and transportation.
To achieve these skills, new types of training are needed for automotive industry professionals to ensure they understand the rapidly changing technologies available for the development of autonomous vehicles.
Professional development training through SAE International ensures engineers are training on the most recent technologies for automotive vehicle systems. Those who participate in SAE courses learn from established subject matter experts and professionals in the field and have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with peers in their field or industry. SAE courses also enable engineers to earn certificates and the CPU/PDU credits required to maintain their licensing and further their professional development.
As an industry leader for professional education in mobility and transportation, SAE offers a wide range of classroom, online and on-demand courses and training programs covering leading-edge technologies as well as fundamentals across the aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle industries.
This makes SAE the ideal provider for training relevant to developing AV systems, which is offered through the Robotics for Autonomous Vehicle Systems Bootcamp course. The course is aimed at new graduates just entering the workforce, as well as those already working but looking to move into AV systems development.
Get Hands-On Experience Developing AV Systems
SAE created the Robotics for AV Systems Bootcamp course for specifically for automotive professionals in conjunction with Clemson University and with industry guidance from self-driving technology developer Argo AI.
The course is designed for working professional engineers in the automotive sector, as well as those interested in understanding or working on AV systems. Participants are expected to have a B.S. in Mechanical, Software or Electrical Engineering, or Computer Science. Some knowledge of coding in C or Python is also recommended.
Throughout the intensive 12-week course, participants develop a technical understanding of how to build an autonomous vehicle system. The core of the program involves working within a group setting to program a Turtlebot3 Burger mobile robot using hands-on materials and coding via ROS, Gazebo and Python. Participants will also work with software tools including Git as well as Linux on Raspberry Pi.
The course culminates with a two-week project to collaborate with other participants and demonstrate the application of acquired skills to the task of navigating the Turtlebot3 robot through an obstacle course.
Participants finish the course with a strong understanding of what goes into autonomous vehicle system development, knowledge of the primary software tools used in industry, experience with creating and executing simulation environments, and understanding how to work in global and local coordinated systems.
Each week’s material covers a different aspect of AV development, such as vehicle architecture, kinematics, LiDAR, camera systems, visual intelligence, machine learning, navigation/path planning and more.
The course content is available fully online through a combined live-online and on-demand structure. The course requires approx. 10-15 hours per week to go through materials and watch the weekly video lecture recordings, including a 1.5hr live online lecture experience on Fridays. All course material including video lectures and assignments is available asynchronously, to enable participants to schedule the bulk of their studies in a way that is convenient to their existing work and personal schedules.
The video lecture content is taught by Professor Venkat Krovi, the Michelin Endowed SmartState Chair Professor of Vehicle Automation at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research. He brings to the course his expertise in the life cycle treatment (design, modeling, analysis, control, implementation and verification) of the new generation of systems for realizing connected autonomy in the arenas of vehicle automation, plant-automation and defense.
The weekly live lecture sessions are taught by experts in autonomous vehicles, who bring their expertise and real-world industry experience to the course to provide comprehensive coverage of the curriculum topics.
Given the extremely rigorous nature of this program, optional weekly office hours will be available for participants to contact the instructors for additional assistance.
Registration Open Now
SAE currently offers this bootcamp course twice per year, with the next instance beginning April 22, 2022 and running through July 8, 2022. Registration is currently open.
The course is available for $3,995 which includes the cost of materials for the robot provided by SAE and shipped to participants’ locations. Unemployed recent graduates can access a discounted price of $2,995.
For more details or to register for the next session, visit the SAE International learning portal.
