Modeling and Design of an Autonomous Dragster

This work outlines the design, modeling and development of a competition eliminator dragster which is a specialized vehicle built to compete in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). A simple control strategy was also developed once the vehicle model was validated. Towards that end, redundant braking, steering, throttle and shifting systems were all redesigned, modeled, and then implemented in vehicle. Three key sensors (camera, radar, lidar) were also integrated on to the vehicle to enable the vehicle to know its position relative to the track. All these systems were developed and designed such that the vehicle could be autonomously but seamlessly overridden by an in-vehicle driver.