MK Bashar is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the MSU College of Engineering. He is a proud member of the Spartan Autonomous Racing Club (SpARC), whichsupports the PoliMOVE-MSU team.
The challenge of autonomous racing excites me, and the chance to work on real-world systems while contributing to a groundbreaking project like the PoliMOVE-MSU race car motivated me to join the team. It’sbeen a journey of teamwork, innovation, and passion for pushing the limits of technology.
My focus is on the perception and localization systems of our autonomous car. My responsibilities involve processing data from lidar, radar, and cameras to enhance the vehicle’s environmental awareness and ensure precise localization. This work -spanning sensor integration and scene understanding - is critical for effective autonomous navigation and high-speed decision-making.
One of our greatest challenges is achieving precise, real-time decision-making at extreme speeds. Autonomous racing pushes both hardware and algorithms to their limits, demanding continuous optimization and adaptation. Coordinating a diverse team of experts to seamlessly integrate all systems is complex but incredibly rewarding.
It is truly exciting to witness our ideas come to life on the track. There’s nothing more fulfilling than watching our car perform at high speeds after overcoming complex challenges together. Collaborating with experts who bring unique perspectives to every stage of the process turns every moment into a valuable learning opportunity.
Being part of this team allows me to put theory into practice—whether in sensor fusion, machine learning, orrobotics. This hands-on experience deepens my understanding by exposing me to real-world constraints, computational limits, and environmental challenges, effectively bridging the gap between academic theory and industry application.
I feel fortunate that this experience aligns perfectly with my aspirations in advancing 3D computer vision and autonomous systems. I aim to engage in cutting-edge research that transforms autonomous transportation. The skills I am developing - processing lidar data, optimizing perception systems, and managing real-world dynamics - directly support these ambitions.
Joining the Spartan Autonomous Racing Club is an unparalleled opportunity to apply your knowledge in a challenging, high-impact project. It offers the chance to collaborate with talented individuals, gain invaluable insights from real-world applications, and push the boundaries of what autonomous systems can achieve. This is an experience I will carry forward in my career, and I highly recommend it to anyone eager to make a significant impact.
This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.
About the PoliMOVE-MSU Indy Challenge: MSU entered into a two-year agreement in 2023 with Politecnico di Milano in Italy and the University of Alabama to participate in the Indy Autonomous Challenge. MSU is the first and only team from Michigan to race in the IAC series, which brings togetheracademic institutions and public-private partnerships to invent and test the next generation of automated vehicle software fully autonomous race cars, including advanced driver assistance systems. Read more about the team’s successes in 2024 and 2025.
