{"id":13598,"date":"2026-09-08T10:26:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T14:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.mathworks.com\/student-lounge\/?p=13598"},"modified":"2026-09-08T10:26:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T14:26:58","slug":"how-clemson-students-built-a-180-mph-driverless-racecar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mathworks.com\/student-lounge\/2026\/09\/08\/how-clemson-students-built-a-180-mph-driverless-racecar\/","title":{"rendered":"How Clemson Students Built a 180 mph Driverless Racecar"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This blog is in collaboration with University of Clemson’s Deep Orange student development team and New Eagle.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Graduate students in the Deep Orange program at Clemson University<\/span> are not afraid to take on a challenge. As part of the Indy Autonomous Challenge, they worked on designing, building, and testing autonomous racecars alongside both faculty and industry partners. Deep Orange and projects like it are a proving ground to shape the next generation of engineers and developers. They rely on industry-grade tools, including New Eagle\u2019s Raptor Academic Platform built on Simulink, to help students move from concept to high-performance systems.<\/div>\n
From off-road navigation to high-speed autonomy on the track, let\u2019s take a closer look at how Clemson students are applying these tools and pushing the boundaries of future engineering.<\/div>\n
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Figure <\/span>1<\/span>: The Clemson team with the Deep Orange 12 vehicle at IAC<\/span><\/div>\n
Source: Clemson University<\/span><\/div>\n

Education and Real-World Innovation<\/h2>\n
At the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR<\/span><\/a>), selected graduate students in Clemson University’s Department of Automotive Engineering gain hands-on experience through the Deep Orange<\/span><\/a> program, working much as though they were part of an OEM or Tier 1 supplier.<\/div>\n
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Figure <\/span>2<\/span>: Source Clemson University<\/span><\/div>\n
Alongside faculty and industry partners, they collaborate to design and build a new vehicle prototype each year. New Eagle Application Engineer Drew Barnett was once one of these students. Having participated in the Deep Orange 12 project, he has firsthand insight into how experiences like this prepare students for careers in engineering.<\/div>\n
\u201cWorking on the Deep Orange project was one of the most valuable parts of my time at Clemson. I was involved in integrating autonomy systems, developing control and communication software, and helping lead a large team through tight timelines. That experience gave me a strong foundation for working on complex systems in an industry environment.\u201d – Drew Barnett <\/span><\/div>\n

Deep Orange 12\u201316 and Beyond: Tapping Into Raptor<\/h3>\n
Multiple Deep Orange projects have utilized the Raptor platform to build advanced vehicle control systems, starting with Deep Orange 12 (DO12) in 2021. Clemson partnered with the Indy Autonomous Challenge<\/a> (IAC) to produce a driverless high-speed racecar which would compete against other university-based student teams.<\/div>\n
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Figure <\/span>3<\/span>: How Clemson expanded autonomous vehicle capability across projects<\/span><\/div>\n
The goal of the IAC is not just to successfully create a working prototype but for students to develop innovative solutions for autonomous mobility. To accomplish this goal, students use model-based design with Raptor and Simulink to achieve autonomy, electrification, and innovation through model-based development.<\/div>\n
As Kevin Alley, New Eagle\u2019s Chief Commercial Officer, puts it, \u201cIf the racecar is the human body, then the Raptor controller is essentially the nervous system that connects and monitors all of the vehicle\u2019s complex systems.\u201d<\/div>\n
Since the first IAC vehicle in 2021, tools like Raptor have helped students integrate complex autonomous control systems. The Raptor Academic Platform<\/a>, which includes the complete suite of Raptor software development tools as well as several ready-made templates, helped teams get started quickly and focus on system design and integration.<\/div>\n
Ultimately, these projects have demonstrated the value of academic\u2013industry partnerships in pushing the boundaries of vehicle control and autonomy.<\/div>\n

Deep Orange 13: Off-Road Autonomy<\/h3>\n
Deep Orange 13 shifted the focus from closed-track racing to off-road autonomy, introducing a new layer of environmental complexity. Students developed a prototype capable of navigating uneven terrain, unpredictable obstacles, and variable traction conditions.<\/div>\n
Unlike controlled racetrack environments, off-road scenarios required more robust perception systems and adaptive control strategies. Teams integrated advanced sensing technologies and refined path-planning algorithms to ensure safe and efficient navigation.<\/div>\n
The project emphasized durability, real-time decision-making, and system resilience, all key factors for autonomous vehicles operating in unstructured environments. DO13 expanded the program\u2019s scope, pushing students to think beyond speed and toward versatility in autonomy.<\/div>\n

Deep Orange 14: High-Speed Off-Road Autonomy<\/h3>\n
Building on DO13, Deep Orange 14 combined off-road capability with high-speed performance. The challenge was to maintain stability, perception accuracy, and control precision while operating at higher speeds across rugged terrain.<\/div>\n
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Figure <\/span>4<\/span>: Deep Orange 14 Vehicle, Source: Clemson University<\/span><\/div>\n
The cohort of students worked in partnership with the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) over the course of three years to develop this vehicle from the ground up. They enhanced sensor fusion techniques and optimized control algorithms in order to handle rapid changes in terrain and vehicle dynamics. This required careful balance between speed and safety, with a strong emphasis on predictive modeling and system responsiveness.<\/div>\n
DO14 ultimately demonstrated how autonomous systems can scale performance without sacrificing reliability. For applications such as defense or emergency response, this project offers valuable insight without putting humans in harm\u2019s way.<\/div>\n

Deep Orange 15: Remote Rescue<\/h3>\n
Deep Orange 15 explored autonomy in mission-critical scenarios, focusing on remote rescue applications. Students designed a vehicle capable of operating in hazardous or inaccessible environments, from urban rubble to desert sands, particularly in the aftermath of disaster events.<\/div>\n
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Figure <\/span>5<\/span>: The Deep Orange 15 Vehicle, source: Clemson University<\/span><\/div>\n
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Teams worked to develop solutions for terrain mapping and obstacle avoidance, as well as autonomous navigation. In any scenario, reliable data transmission under challenging conditions was critical so that operators could monitor and guide the vehicle when necessary. Human\u2013machine interactions played a key role.<\/div>\n
DO15 highlighted the potential for autonomous systems to support emergency response efforts and improve safety in high-risk situations, as well as the tremendous value for research.<\/div>\n

Deep Orange 16: Rapid Response<\/h3>\n
Deep Orange 16, unveiled at the 2025 Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering & Technology Symposium (GVSETS), advanced the concept of autonomy in time-sensitive operations, focusing on rapid response scenarios in dynamic environments. The vehicle needed to deploy quickly and navigate efficiently, so students worked on reducing response times and improving overall vehicle readiness in addition to optimizing system integration.<\/div>\n
DO16 incorporated lessons from previous Deep Orange projects to combine high-speed capability, off-road performance, and advanced autonomy into a cohesive platform. It underscored the importance of scalability and adaptability, demonstrating how autonomous systems can be tailored for a wide range of real-world applications, from disaster response to logistics.<\/div>\n
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Figure <\/span>6<\/span>: Students working on the DO12 Vehicle<\/span>, source: Clemson University<\/span><\/div>\n
Deep Orange 17<\/span> is in progress and we are looking forward to the results. But today we want to dig a little deeper into DO12 (the first to take advantage of the Raptor platform) and the specific challenges these students confronted.<\/div>\n

Deep Orange 12 and the Indy Autonomous Challenge<\/h2>\n
For Deep Orange 12, Clemson University partnered with the IAC to build a race-ready autonomous prototype. More than 40 graduate students contributed to vehicle development.<\/div>\n
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Figure <\/span>7<\/span>: Source: Clemson University<\/span><\/div>\n