Alumnus on the Fast Track of Autonomous Racing
By Shelby Gill
While Formula 1 captivates millions of fans worldwide, few ever experience the challenge of not only racing on its tracks but shaping the future of automotive innovation therein. Nicholas Drake Broadbent (B.S.M.E. and B.A. German, summa cum laude, ’20) is doing just that in his Ph.D. program at Stanford’s Dynamic Design Lab and Center for Automotive Research. As part of a pioneering team, Broadbent develops artificial-intelligence-based autonomous racing and drifting control algorithms on circuits around the globe — including Portugal’s Autódromo Internacional Algarve in Portimão, which, according to seven-time F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton, is among the most challenging tracks in the world.
“Using artificial intelligence in place of physics-based vehicle dynamics modeling, I programmed cars to race around the Autódromo at their absolute limits of handling and stability,” Broadbent said. “In drifting, we push beyond the limits of stability altogether while critically maintaining controllability of the car. It’s precisely through these conditions of extreme control where we have demonstrated the greatest advantages of AI in modeling how a vehicle moves in time.”
To push vehicles to their limits, the team regularly travels across a variety of landscapes and climates. After the team masters the topography, high speeds and “crazy vertical accelerations” in Portugal, they then travel north toward the Arctic Circle to test his AI with friction variation between packed snow and polished ice on a frozen lake at Volkswagen Group’s top-secret test facility.
Broadbent’s graduate work has taken him — quite literally — around the globe from working alongside Volkswagen Group engineers in Wolfsburg and Ehra-Lessien, Germany, to competing at the Gran Turismo College League Finals in Japan to presenting his work at the International Symposium on Advanced Vehicle Control in Milan and at the Lamborghini headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy.
Hot Wheels even celebrated the team’s accomplishments by creating a toy to commemorate their achievement of the world’s first autonomous tandem drift in collaboration with Toyota Research Institute. Broadbent is published as the first author on his team’s AI tire modeling paper, which proposes a neural network that predicts front tire lateral force in replacement of physics-based approaches.
His passion for international study began at the University of Arkansas when he planned to intern at the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart through the U of A’s International Engineering Program, spending a year studying vehicle dynamics and internal combustion engines while competing on the Formula Student Electric and Driverless racing teams at the Technische Universität Darmstadt and securing his dream internship.
“In my freshman year at Arkansas, I set two clear goals to guide my undergraduate studies: to work at the Mercedes-Benz world headquarters alongside some of the very best automotive engineers in the world and earn admission to Stanford for a Ph.D. with Professor Chris Gerdes’ Dynamic Design Lab,” Broadbent said. “I had somewhat foolishly convinced myself that I could only have the career I wanted if I achieved those goals. In hindsight, however, it was in pursuit of these goals at Arkansas where I developed the technical skills and tenacity needed to succeed — in Stuttgart, at Stanford, and beyond.
Now wrapping up his Ph.D. in California, Broadbent returned to campus to headline International Education Week. His dynamic lecture highlighted his academic journey and offered honors students a rare glimpse into the grit, strategy and determination required to secure a coveted fellowship at a world-class graduate school, which he credits, in large part, to his experience at the U of A.
“I’ve always been impressed by Arkansas talent, and even more so, the opportunities that Arkansas provides,” Broadbent said. “I can tell you that the quality of opportunities and mentorship our students have is among the very best.”
Dean Lynda Coon visited Broadbent at Stanford and somehow ended up hitching a ride in a DeLorean—no word yet on whether they made it back to 1985.
“Nicholas has consistently exemplified the incredible opportunities that mastering another language and culture can open for honors students,” said Kathleen Condray, professor of German. “By building on his engineering experiences in Germany, he has forged an impressive academic and professional path.”
“Nicholas demonstrated exceptional independent research capabilities and helped other undergraduate students in my lab during his time working with me as an undergraduate research assistant,” said Uche Wejinya, associate professor of mechanical engineering and Twenty-First Century Endowed Professorship in Mechanical Engineering. “He constantly seeks help and is committed to continuously gaining new knowledge. Nicholas is a person that can be trusted to lead and provide leadership to achieve both academic and practical goals. Notwithstanding his academic abilities, he is extremely respectful and thoughtful toward others.”
“My lab’s interdisciplinary research training aims to honorably help [students like] Nicholas apply to [graduate schools, like] Stanford,” said Ryan Tian, professor of inorganic chemistry, noting that he sees many students reach their goals of attending medical schools or working in highly competitive industries, like space technology. “I encourage these [alumni] to help more young people in the future, to pass on the good spirit.”