2015 RoboBoat competition concludes

The eighth annual RoboBoat Competition took place in Virginia Beach, Virginia with 16 teams from the US, Indonesia, Taiwan and South Korea on 7-12 July 2015.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored competition saw the student teams develop customised autonomous surface vehicles and put them through a series of challenges.

The teams were evaluated based on the performance and designs of their vessels. The mandatory tasks measured the speed, navigation and propulsion of the vessels. Other challenges included automated docking, obstacle avoidance, launch and recovery from a moving boat, return to dock and acoustic beacon positioning.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University won the top prize of $7,000, while Florida Atlantic University won the second position and $4,000. University of Michigan came in third and received $3,000 and Daytona Beach Homeschoolers ranked fourth and earned $2,500. Electronic Engineering Polytechnic Institute of Surabaya, the University of Ulsan and the University of Florida received smaller prizes of $1,000 and $1,500.

The other participants included teams from the Temple University College of Engineering, Old Dominion University, Georgia Tech, Catholic University of America, University of West Florida, Villanova University, University of Central Florida and National Cheng Kung University.

Kelly Cooper, program officer, sea warfare and weapons, ship systems and engineering research division, ONR, said: 'The course provides students with realistic maritime environment missions. The successes and challenges students experience via the competition are good preparation for a future in engineering, hopefully for the navy.

'From completing a run to making onsite adjustments, RoboBoat offers students a first-hand look at what real-life engineers go through when developing and testing navy technologies for our sailors and marines.'