Teams from the Faculty of Informatics dominated the NXP Cup qualifiers to reach the European finals in Milan!
The EmCar and FiCar teams excelled in the qualifying round of the NXP Cup, hosted by the Faculty of Informatics at Masaryk University on Thursday 16 April 2026. This popular event is organized annually by one of FI MU’s industry partners, NXP Semiconductors Czech Republic s.r.o. The goal of the competition is to build a small car capable of driving around a race track on its own in the shortest possible time while also recognizing barriers and stopping in front of them. The winning teams will retain FI’s success from last year in Eindhoven at the competition in Milan.
Photo: EmCar, the winning team
Six university teams participated in the competition, including representatives from Poland. FI MU was represented by the EmCar team, consisting of Lukáš Dulík, Radka Ďuriačová, and Lukáš Poul, and the FiCar team, represented by Jakub Rádl, Vojtěch Szotkowski, and Vladimír Drobný. Their cars completed the race track in times of 11.35 seconds and 12.26 seconds, respectively, taking the top two spots in the race. Both teams advance to the finals, which will take place on 6-7 May 2026 in Milan, Italy. They can build on last year’s success in Eindhoven, where FI won gold and silver. Third place in this year’s qualifiers went to the Black Hawk team from the Faculty of Information Technology at BUT.
Photo: The FiCar team took second place
“I’m glad that, thanks to EmLab, we have the opportunity at the faculty to bring our ideas to life in hardware form alongside all the software. It’s always a pleasure to see your work and efforts take physical form, especially when it’s in the spirit of victory. Although tuning the car sometimes tested our nerves, seeing it dominate the track was a great feeling and a huge relief. I’m very happy that both of our faculty teams managed to qualify. Milano, here we go!” celebrated Radka Ďuriačová, a member of the winning team.
Photo: Radka Ďuriačová before her winning run
The contestants are required to build race cars that can navigate the race track without any manual control or other external assistance. The track has a white surface and black borders, which the cars use to navigate with the help of a camera. Based on data from the camera, they make decisions independently and must navigate not only the designated track but also through an intersection that is part of the qualifying racetrack. After completing the circuit, they can proceed to the bonus discipline, Lap of Honor, in which they must slow down upon detecting the finish line and stop no more than 10 centimeters before a barrier. The race result is determined by points for speed in completing the course and bonus points for the ability to stop before the barrier.
Photo: Stopping in front of a barrier
Through the NXP Cup, our students can apply the experience gained in the Onechip Controllers course taught by the Design and Architecture of Digital Systems Laboratory (EmLab). Here, they will not only master the basics of microcontroller programming on the same boards used in the competition, but also much more. EmLab provides the necessary equipment and guidance through its seminars, where students can work on their own projects, including the competition cars. “The NXP Cup is an amazing opportunity to try out real-world devices and autonomous control,” adds Zdeněk Matěj from EmLab.
Photo: Racing cars
We would like to thank all the teams for a fantastic spectator experience, and we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for the winners in the European finals!
NXP Semiconductors Czech Republic s.r.o. has been a member of the Association of Industrial Partners at the Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, since 2020. Cooperation within the SPP began with the modernization of the PV198 One-Chip Controllers course, which received new hardware and content thanks to NXP. In addition to organizing the Autonomous Model Car Driving Competition at FI, they have also participated several times in the Talent@FI competition. The number of students participating in mandatory FI internships and writing their final theses is also growing steadily. Collaboration with the EmLab at FI MU is also key.
Author: Marta Vrlová, Office for External Relations and Partnerships, FI MU
Photo: NXP Semiconductors Czech Republic s.r.o. and FI MU
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