LOUISVILLE, Colo. – May 19, 2016 –– On the show floor at the 53rd Design Automation Conference (DAC 2016), DAC is hosting theNXP Cup Challenge, a collaborative, competitive, and hands-on way for teams to learn about embedded systems and control. The 53rd DAC will be held in the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas from Sunday, June 5 to Thursday, June 9. DAC is the premier conference devoted to the design and automation of electronic systems, offering attendees outstanding training, education, exhibits and networking opportunities.
The NXP Cup began in 2003 in Korea at Hanyang University, hosting 80 teams of students. Since that time the NXP Cup has spread to China, India, Malaysia, Latin America, North America, and Europe, impacting more than 500 schools and 15,000 students a year. The NXP Cup is a global competition where student teams build, program, and race a model car around a track for speed. The fastest car to complete the track without derailing, wins.
Creation of this autonomous car requires:
- Embedded software programming and basic circuit creation using NXP parts included in the entry kit.
- Students to create motor control hardware and software to propel and steer their intelligent car.
- Students to interface to a camera to navigate the car through the race course by following the guide line.
This year, DAC will be hosting the US finals, where university teams from East Coast, West Coast, and Central Region compete for prizes and recognition. See this video for a quick example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3UeXfOHd7Y
At DAC 2016, there also will be a separate competition for traditional DAC attendees. These “amateur” teams also compete for prizes. For entrants who want to compete in the “amateur” race, can purchase a race car kit prior to DAC on the NXP website or purchase a race car kit at DAC at the NXP booth in the DAC Maker’s Market.
The NXP Challenge Cup racetrack – in Hall 1 near the food court — will be open for practice on Monday-Wednesday from 10-12 am and from 3-5 pm . The US Finals will be Wednesday, June 8 from 2-3pm. The amateur finals will be at 5pm on Wednesday. Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for the amateur finals will be:
- First place: $200 Amex gift certificate
- Second place: $100 Amex gift certificate
- Third place: $50 gift certificate
Race car experts will be available to get the DAC teams started. NXP will provide enablement software that will give teams basic autonomous navigation capabilities. Teams can then optimize their software to improve car speed around the track.
“We are very grateful to NXP for allowing us to hold the US Finals of the Challenge Cup at DAC,” said Chuck Alpert, 53rd DAC General Chair. “The combination of collaboration, education and just plain fun will keep the track buzzing. Knowledge sharing between the university teams who have made it to the finals and the “amateur” DAC teams should be especially interesting.”
About DAC
The Design Automation Conference (DAC) is recognized as the premier event for the design of electronic circuits and systems and for electronic design automation (EDA). Members of a diverse worldwide community from more than 1,000 organizations attend each year, represented by system designers and architects, logic and circuit designers, validation engineers, CAD managers, senior managers and executives, and researchers and academicians from leading universities. Close to 60 technical sessions selected by a committee of electronic design experts offer information on recent developments and trends, management practices and new products, methodologies and technologies. A highlight of DAC is its exhibition and suite area with approximately 200 of the leading and emerging EDA, silicon, intellectual property (IP) and design services providers. The conference is sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Electronic Design Automation Consortium (EDA Consortium), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and is supported by ACM’s Special Interest Group on Design.
