delivered without a driver | MIT News

When Cindy Heredia chose her MBA program, she knew she wanted to be at the forefront of the autonomous driving industry. During his research, he discovered that MIT had a unique offering: a student-run team without a driver. Heredia applied to join the MIT team, hoping to gain hands-on experience.

“My hope is that we can find tools and technologies like ride-sharing and autonomous vehicles and use different modes for vulnerable populations that are traditionally underserved by existing options,” shares Heredia. .

At age 8, Heredia immersed himself in cars, repairing car radios to help support his family. Growing up in a low-income neighborhood in Laredo, Texas, Heredia understood mobility as an essential resource for greater access to employment, education and opportunities at an early age. His family’s only car was constantly running for work, making it difficult for them to meet essential needs such as going to the doctor. As he grew up, he saw that his friends were unable to take advantage of job opportunities due to long bus rides that took hours.

Getting accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and joining the unmanned team was her first step in addressing transportation inequality. Under the auspices of the MIT Edgerton Center, MIT Driverless is developing its own artificial intelligence software to race in autonomous driving competitions. Leveraging their talent and resources, Driverless teamed up with the University of Pittsburgh, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and the University of Waterloo, Canada to form MIT-PITT-RW and compete in the Indy Autonomous Challenge.

In the winter of 2021, Heredia became the co-captain of the team. It hasn’t always been easy. At the Indy Autonomous Challenge in November, MIT-PITT-RW was the only student-run team out of nine teams. “Our team got a lot of ‘no’s,” shares Heredia. “We were told that the student-run team shouldn’t even be on the gridiron. Two days before the race we had a devastating accident (thankfully we came back from it!). We saw teammates leave. We had personal life events. But we always managed to get through it all and come out strong. We have never used anything. “

Developing reliable decision-making algorithms is a challenge due to the potential for misinterpretation of sensor data, which can lead to collisions. Additionally, when traveling at speeds in excess of 150 mph, the demand for quick decision-making intensifies, prompting teams to continually improve their technological setup. Teams like MIT-PITT-RW are pushing the boundaries by testing new algorithms at speeds considered too dangerous for conventional roads, helping to advance the field.

Despite these challenges, in January MIT-PITT-RW set a new speed record of 152 mph during the time trial (fastest lap competition) at the Indy Autonomous Challenge, placing fourth overall for the first time. They also set another team record of 154 mph while passing another car.

Now, as he prepares to complete his MBA, Heredia reflects on team leadership and emphasizes the importance of building trust among team members: “It’s basically a people role. You need to be able to work with all different types of people. Understanding how to manage your team is very important and I think that starts with building trust with them. I’ve learned that the best way to do this is to not ask of anyone what you wouldn’t ask of yourself. It’s one thing to tell your team, “You’re important to me, and I’m here for you.” It’s quite another to prove it repeatedly with your actions.”

Heredia encourages other women of color to take leadership positions in the self-driving industry. “You will have to put yourself out there, made to be seen and never hide. If they invite you into a room, you have to remind yourself that you deserve to be in that room.” He believes there is more support than you think. “There are an amazing number of women of color in leadership roles at self-owned companies, and I’m grateful to call some of them my mentors.”

Heredia says anyone who goes into this field should be prepared to fail a lot. “There are times when you can try to listen as much as you can and make a decision, but it might not be the right one. A project like this comes with a lot of risk, and the comfort of knowing that it will sometimes fail is very important. And that’s good. You will learn the most when you go through the most difficult moments. So you reflect, pivot, and keep moving forward. So my advice would be to go in with the mindset that this is a learning experience. And use it to help people believe in what’s possible, share what you’ve learned along the way.”

While many people predict the end of personal car ownership with the arrival of autonomous vehicles, Heredia believes it will be a slow and gradual process. He plans to pursue a career in the self-driving industry, recognizing its significant challenges. In the future, he hopes that we can also use these technologies for social welfare and bring them to the communities where he grew up. “It’s an incredibly interesting problem that I think still has a long way to go.”