Singapore-UAE team wins autonomous car race in Italy on third attempt

SINGAPORE – Third time’s the charm for a team that included staff and students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), which won an autonomous car race in Italy on its third attempt despite a more challenging circuit than before.

Team Kinetiz – comprising members from NTU, United Arab Emirates tech firm K2 and autonomous systems specialist Alp Autonomy – beat four other competitors for the Sept 5 victory at the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL).

During the inaugural A2RL race in 2024, Team Kinetiz failed to make the final four after placing sixth in a pre-qualifying round.

Teams race identical driverless cars equipped with cameras, lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors, radar and a navigation system.

“We want to translate what we have learnt into broader applications for autonomous systems and robotics for Singapore.”