Velocity is a student-led club in DCB and a founding member of China’s DeepRacer League. Students aged 12-18 create Reinforcement Learning models and compete against clubs around the world in autonomous racing events while developing hands-on Machine Learning skills.

To be able to compete against professionals in the field of AI, club members work together to develop Machine Learning skills, evaluate models, work out ways to improve and grow together as a club. Audrey W, a founder of Velocity, shares her experience: “I always had an interest in AI but it just seemed complicated and hard to access. When I found out about DeepRacer, I wanted to be part of this incredible project! We started as an extracurricular club but quickly grew to be a student community, collaborating to develop reward functions for autonomous vehicles and test them on physical tracks. To master each track, we apply interdisciplinary skills and problem-solve. We consider the physical race properties of the track and the race rules to optimize the car’s performance on the track. This includes learning advanced principles that are beyond the curriculum: vehicle kinematics, mathematical analysis of optimal path, and Reinforcement Learning theories to ensure the car makes the right decision every step of the way”.

“A year ago, we made a strategic decision to empower teaching and learning with Artificial Intelligence within and beyond the classroom, thereby providing our students with opportunities to experience cutting-edge technologies in a real-world setting. Participating in these competitions not only help students develop technical skills, but also teach them to think on their feet and make critical decisions in real-time to win their races,” says Yosef Karasik whose support and coaching granted him the Best Coach Award on Saturday.