Divisions
Core Members will be placed in Groups based on their skills, experience, and interests. At this time all applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.
Fall 2020 - COVID-19 Information
Watonomous has fully transitioned to remote work for the Fall 2020 term. Meetings are held remotely. We will still have limited physical access to our vehicle for testing and development if required.
Software Division
The Software Team has invested a lot of time in Spring 2020 building a full software-in-the-loop testing system for our entire autonomous stack using CARLA and Mathworks tools. As such, remote development will be very simple.
Perception
The Perception Group is responsible for processing camera, LIDAR and radar sensor data to identify objects of interest (eg. road lines, traffic signals/signs, obstacles etc). Members will research and develop object detection and classification algorithms, experiment with existing open-source libraries, and work with other teams to integrate the Perception module into the software system. Members will gain experience working with machine learning, computer vision, point cloud data processing, system integration, ROS, OpenCV, C++, and Python.
The Perception Group is broken down into five Squads: Object Classification, Roadline Detection, LiDAR Object Detection, Camera Calibration, and FPGA. Perception Group members frequently move to different Squads, based on what work is prioritized by the Manager.
Path Planning
The Path Planning Group is responsible for handling decision making in different situations including collision avoidance, automated emergency braking, intelligent routing, four way stops, protected intersections, parking, lane changes, speed handling, and much more. Members will be responsible for engineering low-latency real-time planning, controls, and probabilistic decision making algorithms and simulators. Path Planning members will gain experience with building performance-oriented C++ code, path planning and controls algorithms, and real-world applications of mathematical concepts such as linear algebra, calculus, differential equations, computational geometry, graphics, and controls systems.
The Path Planning Group is the most volatile. The Group is is broken down into many Squads, which pop up and die out frequently as the competition moves from year to year. Some examples of Squads are: Costmap Generation, Trajectory Planning, Feedback Controllers, Simulation, Behavioral Planner, etc... Path Planning Group members frequently move to different Squads, based on what work is prioritized by the Manager.
Infrastructure
The Infrastructure Group is responsible for creating the tools needed to integrate and support the modules of all the other groups. Members will be working on setting up continuous integration, maintaining and improving the development and production (in-car) environments, and implementation of various visualizations and tools to support the other groups, both in their local environment and when testing in the car. Infrastructure members will gain experience working with technologies such as Docker, ROS, Python and C++.
The Infrastructure Group is broken down into three Squads: Workspace Virtualization, Continuous Integration, and VIZ Tooling. Infrastructure Group members tend to stay on the same Squad, since Squad domain experience is not as transferable compared to the other Groups.
Electrical Division
Telemetry/CAN interface Manager/Director
The electrical team is looking for a project manager for Telemetry + CAN interface group in the electrical team. In the role, you'll be responsible for managing 5 members as you build the interface for how autonomous controls are executed on the car. This involves assigning tasks, deciding deliverable timelines, coordinating with other groups in WATonomous, and representing the Telemetry/CAN group management meetings. No prior technical experience is necessarily required as we have many experts in the team to learn from, but you need to be willing to learn the technical details of Telemetry / CAN in order to best lead the group.
Mechanical Division
Sensor Mounting
The Sensor Mounting group is responsible to mount all sensors safely, and design necessary enclosures for these sensors. The group performs analysis using tools such as ANSYS to verify design choices and to ensure all sensors are stable during motion. These sensors include cameras, LiDARs, and GPS. The group works closely with electrical and software teams to determine what sensors are required, how they need to be mounted, and enclosure requirements.
Infrastructure & Compute Rack
The group is responsible for outfitting our Test Track with the necessary equipment to simulate competition conditions as closely as possible. This allows for more holistic testing of the car’s performance. Recent projects include designing and building a mobile rig for a pedestrian dummy and designing a mount for traffic lights.
The group is also responsible for maintaining and improving upon the current Compute Rack in the car. The group ensures that any new equipment mounted onto the car is connected effectively to the compute rack. Furthermore, the group directly deals with any possible improvements to the Compute Rack design.
Business Division
Business Administration
The Business Administration Group is responsible for organizing events for internal and external outreach. We're currently looking for a business administration lead to help organize a series of "Tech Talks" held by Watonomous members where we teach the greater community about Autonomous Vehicles.
Marketing
The Marketing Group is in charge of engaging external parties such as students, faculty members, and sponsors on the team’s progress. The Group is responsible for building WATonomous as a brand. We're currently looking for someone with interest in videography to organize a publicity video highlighting our progress in the last year on our autonomous stack. You'll be talking with and interviewing members across all divisions and directing the vision for the project.
Finance
The Finance Group is responsible for ensuring that our financial situation is sound and that we have the monetary resources necessary to win the competition. We're currently looking for a more technically oriented Finance lead who can maintain and improve automated system processing finance requests.
External Sponsorship
The External Sponsorship Group is responsible for following leads of potential sponsors for both software/hardware donations as well as monetary sponsorships. The process begins with following up with a lead and ends with closing the deal. Sponsorship works closely with finance and internal affairs to ensure that all goals and deadlines are met.
Internal Sponsorship
The Internal Sponsorship team is a mission-critical part of our team and our main source of funding. The Internal Sponsorship Team is responsible for presenting sponsorship pitches to WEEF, MEF, and ENG-SOC and generates over 25,000 dollars in funding each year. We're looking for 2-3 members to assist with organizing these pitches. Afterwards, members will likely migrate to other projects in Business or in the greater team.
Design
The Design Group is responsible for creating and updating designs for WATonomous. This role involves creating attractive and user-friendly website layouts, promotional materials, swag, and car wraps. You’ll also have the opportunity to help set our own brand guidelines. We are looking for someone who loves working with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, or Sketch!
For resources regarding all positions, see our resources page