The final design consists of six coordinated subsystems: four distributed RFID reading assemblies positioned along the pit lane and one central communication assembly located at the PGPF Safety Committee table. Each reading assembly is designed to reliably detect passive RFID tags on karts traveling across the full width of the pit lane. These subsystems are spaced at known locations, forming defined zones (A, B, and C) that allow precise tracking of kart movement. Each RFID reading assembly integrates a high-power antenna, an M7E RFID module, an ESP32 microcontroller, and a dedicated battery supply for portability and stability. The ESP32 handles tag acquisition and timestamping then transmits the data wirelessly to a central hub ESP32 using low-latency communication. The central hub is connected to a Raspberry Pi, which performs real-time speed calculations by comparing timestamps between zones and using known distances. The Raspberry Pi also hosts a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays kart data, including current speeds, violation alerts, zone-specific infractions, the five most recent offenders, and repeat offenders exceeding three violations, ensuring efficient race monitoring.
The Purdue Grand Prix Foundation (PGPF) identified a critical safety concern regarding excessive speeds of Grand-Prix karts entering the pit area during races. Previous pit operations lacked an effective system to monitor and enforce speed limits, creating potential hazards for drivers, crew members, and officials. Our system must continually monitor drivers pit lane speeds and transmit infractions to the safety committee. The safety committee must be capable of receiving the information in a streamlined and efficient manner to effectively and immediately inform the speeding driver. The data the Safety Committee receives must include what maximum speed is achieved, the time this speed is reached, and which kart makes the infraction. In all, this project must deliver a usable product to meet the regulations associated with these needs for every racing team competing in the Grand Prix 2026.