Welcome to Wisconsin Autonomous
Wisconsin Autonomous is dedicated to the research and development of self-driving vehicles. By utilizing state-of-the-art technologies and interacting with industry leaders, we are actively developing the next-generation of engineers. Established in 2018, Wisconsin Autonomous has grown into a multi-disciplinary organization with over 50 undergraduate and graduate students.
3rd
5 Year Overall AudoDrive Result
2nd
2025 and 2026 AutoDrive Result
3rd
evGrandPrix Result
16
Research papers published in connection to our org
Competitions
EcoCAR EV Challenge
A multi-year Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, Stellantis, and MathWorks. Teams re-engineer a production electric vehicle to incorporate connectivity, energy efficiency, and SAE Level 2+ automated driving features.
AutoDrive Challenge II
SAE International and General Motors flagship autonomy challenge. Over five years, the team engineered a Level 4 autonomous Chevrolet Bolt EUV capable of dynamic city driving, pedestrian interaction, and traffic sign negotiation.
Building Autonomy, Shaping Engineers
From raw sensor photons to tires on asphalt.
Founded in 2018, Wisconsin Autonomous brings together over 50 UW-Madison engineers building production-grade autonomous vehicles for elite collegiate competitions.
Perception
Machine Learning & Computer Vision
Deep learning, object detection/classification, semantic segmentation, lane line detection, sensor calibration, and sensor fusion
Controls
Behavior & Motion Execution
Trajectory generation, behavior decisions, dynamic rerouting, longitudinal and lateral control algorithm execution on high-performance compute platforms.
Hardware
EV Propulsion & AV Electronics
EV propulsion design and development, custom chassis design, AV sensor and compute mounting, testing infrastructure
Infrastructure
Compute & Power Harnessing
Compute platforms, custom wiring harnesses, high and low voltage power delivery, drive-by-wire actuator integration, and hardware safety interlocks.
Simulation
Virtual Testing & HIL Rigs
Synthetic scenario libraries, digital twin environments, and hardware-in-the-loop validation.
Operations
Communication & Organization
Internal communication, sponsorship and volunteer outreach, project management, market research, and event planning
Engineering in Action
From track validation at Mcity to high-voltage hardware integration, here is a look at what Wisconsin Autonomous does.
Our Corporate Sponsors
Wisconsin Autonomous is powered by generous software licenses, compute hardware, sensor donations, and financial backing from leading automotive and tech leaders.
Corporate & Industry Partners
Campus & Department Partners
Interested in partnering with Wisconsin Autonomous?
Support the next generation of engineering talent.
JOIN WISCONSIN AUTONOMOUS.
We accept undergraduate and graduate students across all engineering, computer science, data science, and business majors. No prior self-driving vehicle experience required.