On August 22, the 19th National College Student Smart Car Competition concluded at Harbin Engineering University, with 236 universities and 486 teams participating. Our university’s 10 teams, led by instructors Zhang Kai, Wang Jing, Song Heran, and Huang Mengyuan, achieved remarkable results: one national first prize, one national second prize, two South China regional first prizes, and four South China regional second prizes, setting a new record for our university. Among them, Wang Huashen, Xie Jiahao, and Lin Jiawei won the national first prize in the Electromagnetic Group, while Zhao Zefeng, Yang Dongbang, and Lin Weibin secured the national second prize in the Hovercraft Group.

Live Coverage of the Smart Car Competition

Group Photo at the National Finals

The 10 teams that participated in this competition all come from the Beidou and Smart Car Association of the School of Automotive and Transportation Engineering. This academic and technological association focuses on developing smart cars and participating in national competitions. Its members are from various faculties, including Automotive and Transportation Engineering, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Electronic and Communication Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence. Since its establishment in 2014, the association has actively participated in various competitions and achieved outstanding results. It emphasizes training students in practical skills and innovative thinking through technological project development. Students gain comprehensive technical training by learning a wide range of skills, from basic circuit design and programming to advanced machine vision processing and dynamic control systems. This interdisciplinary learning and practice significantly enhance students’ engineering practice abilities and complex problem-solving skills, greatly improving their employability.

The National College Student Smart Car Competition, founded in 2005 by the Automation Professional Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education’s Department of Higher Education, is the most influential innovation and practice competition for university students in the field of automation. The competition aims to promote quality education in universities, cultivate students’ ability to apply comprehensive knowledge, develop basic engineering practice skills, and foster innovation consciousness. It also seeks to inspire students’ interest and potential in scientific research and exploration.

(Huang Mengyuan, Zhang Kai, School of Automotive and Transportation Engineering)