I worked at the PoliMI MOVE Lab at the DEIB department, on the team responsible for designing an autonomously driven 2025 Maserati GranCabrio Folgore. The car premiered in the historic 1000 Miglia Race throughout Italy (see my team's picture at the event). My main project involved the design and fabrication of a modular housing unit holding a central LiDar sensor and four cameras for stable data acquisition. I also helped improve the UI and logic behind an internal application to monitor the status of various car sensors.
It was interesting for me to see a slight difference in priorities when comparing the engineering I did in Italy with past experiences in the USA. Specifically, the team held overall design and aesthetics in a higher regard than I was previously accustomed to. Furthermore, because autonomous driving is not yet widespread in Italy, a major motivation within my team was the advertisement of our work to increase public support.
On our team drives throughout Tuscany while following the autonomous car throughout the 1000 Miglia, I learned about Italian history and cultural norms from my coworkers. In the car, I specifically remember them making me listen to contemporary Italian songs while teaching me about the Italian Resistance under Fascism , while I showed them how to embroider on our team hats.
