Julian, a Grade 12 student, has spent the school year developing a self-driving car algorithm for his Independent Studies course. What started as a basic computer vision project for object detection evolved into a multi-semester exploration of autonomous driving. In a simulated environment, he built a virtual world where a car uses a camera feed to interpret its surroundings. His system processes lane markings and objects, then determines steering, acceleration, and braking to keep the vehicle centered.

 

Because Julian published his work as open source, it drew attention from researchers beyond ASH. A scientist at AIT in Vienna and head of the AQUA lab in Turin, contacted him after finding the simulation online. He works on scenario-based testing for autonomous systems using simulators to evaluate performance in complex environments. He plans to use Julian’s algorithms to help generate random road scenarios for testing self-driving systems more efficiently. For Julian, the message marked a surprising and motivating moment where a school project entered academic research.”I’m pretty passionate about it, which is why it’s always exciting to work on it. It was really cool to wake up to that message… being referenced in an academic paper would be really great”, he shares. To stay update on Julian's project, visit his YouTube channel here. 

 

Julian plans to study Computer Science after graduation, continuing to develop projects in autonomous systems as he decides his next steps in higher education in the Netherlands.