Autonomous Vehicles as a Development Platform: From High School to Faculty

Abstract

The increasingly fast evolution of technology demands a quick adaptation of educational methods and platforms. Automotive research and development have evolved from being a pure mechanical field into a multidisciplinary branch of engineering. In this context, the use of a multi-domain platform facilitates the development of knowledge and skills at different educational levels. The main objective of this research is to identify a set of open-source tools to generalize and facilitate the learning experience in automotive areas. We present a case study on how specific open-source and proprietary platforms were used in different levels: high school, undergraduate and faculty training. The study took place during the Fall semester of 2020. Due to SARS-CoV-2, digital platforms and simulators were privileged over physical implementation. All the proposed courses were conducted satisfactorily with minor adjustments and foreseeable outcomes.