About Us

About us

In the summer of 2023, UC Berkeley Allen Yang's ROAR group assumed the position of Lead University within the AI Racing Tech Team. Building upon two years of successful collaboration with contributors from UH-Maui, UC San Diego, and Carnegie Mellon, this transition signified a changing of the guard while emphasizing the team's commitment to continuity and progress in the field of AI racing technology.

The original AI Racing Tech (ART) team emerged from the UH-Maui class held in the spring of 2020, focused on Autonomous Vehicle Technology. The AVTech Class aimed to provide Maui students with hands-on knowledge and experience in Autonomous Vehicle Technology, covering architecture, structures, and the construction of scaled autonomous vehicles.

In 2021, ART expanded its horizons by welcoming student and faculty contributors from prestigious institutions, including UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon. This collaboration enriched the team's capabilities and knowledge base.

In a remarkable achievement, in 2022, ART secured the 2nd position at the Indy Autonomous Challenge in Texas, establishing themselves as the leading American team in the competition. Building on this success, ART continued to shine, securing 3rd place in the 2023 Indy Autonomous Challenge at CES.

Despite the transition of leadership to UC Berkeley, the core team remains unaltered, ensuring that fans can expect to see their favorite members continuing to drive advancements in AI racing technology. Gary Passon's ongoing role as AI Motorsports PI provides valuable leadership continuity, reinforcing the team's dedication to technical excellence and innovation. Together, all four universities are committed to upholding a tradition of excellence and advancing the field, as evidenced by their remarkable journey and achievements.

Meet the Team

University Faculty Leads

Allen Yang PhD

UC Berkeley

ROAR - Robot Open Autonomous Racing

Carnegie Mellon

CAR - Carnegie Autonomous Racing

Dr. Allen Y. Yang is the Executive Director of the FHL Vive Center for Enhanced Reality at UC Berkeley. His research focuses on emerging technologies in AR, VR, and AI, with a particular interest in Computer Vision, Human-Centered User Experience Design, and Autonomy. He is involved in various educational initiatives and co-founded graduate degree programs in AR/VR, Autonomous Driving, and Blockchain and Defi. Yang's current projects include OpenARK, an open-source AR software developer kit, and Robot Open Autonomous Racing (ROAR), an AI racecar competition.

Dr. Jack Silberman is a lecturer at the University of California San Diego, where he teaches courses on mechanical and aerospace engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and autonomous vehicles. He is also a faculty member at the Contextual Robotics Institute. With over 20 years of experience in automation and robotics, Dr. Silberman has worked on a variety of projects in educational robotics, mobile field robotics, semiconductor automation, biotech, and medical devices. He is currently works for a global leader in medical devices with responsibilities in Canada, Central and Latin America.

Dr. John M. Dolan is a Principal Systems Scientist at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, where he focuses on creating systems and methodologies for robots and humans to collaborate on tasks. His research aims to balance maximizing robot autonomy while also creating effective human-machine interfaces. Dolan's research includes developing algorithms for autonomous driving, creating telesupervisory human-robot systems, and studying robot reliability. He has published numerous papers on various topics in robotics and has worked on projects for NASA.

Gary Passon

AI Motorsports Team Principal - Gary Passon

Gary maintains an honorary appointment through UC Berkeley as AI Motorsports Team Principal. Gary is the on the ground day to day team lead. Gary brings not only significant technical and engineering background to the team but years of experience in racing having come up from go-kart through amateur road racing to professional road racing to professional oval racing. After college and his racing career he went on to help start, build, and run high-tech companies in Silicon Valley and Southern California before retiring to Maui. Since returning to Maui he has been active in supporting local schools and their STEM programs as well as more recently helped establish the UH-Maui AVT class and helping to get the AI Racing Tech Team program underway. He is also the founder of the Maui Robotic Vehicle Association.