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AUV Competition Challenges Next Generation of Engineers

For Immediate Release: Aug 01, 2005

Arlington, Va.-- From August 4 through August 7, teams of international students from 21 high schools, colleges and universities will pit their unmanned underwater vehicles against each other for $20,000 in scholarship money.

The 8th International AUVSI/ONR Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition, to be held at the U.S. Navy´s Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center´s Transducer Evaluation Center pool located at Point Loma in San Diego, will consist of three "missions."

  • Mission #1 – Rendezvous with a "docking station."
  • Mission #2 – Find and mark a break in an underwater pipeline.
  • Mission #3 – Home in on an acoustic beacon and breech within a marked surface zone.

All events are open to the media and general public:

  • Thursday, August 4: 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (practice runs)
  • Friday, August 5: 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (practice runs)
  • Saturday, August 6: 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (practice runs a.m.; qualifying runs p.m.)
  • Sunday, August 7: 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (qualifying runs a.m.; finals p.m.)
  • Sunday, August 7: 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony (ticket required)

The international AUV competition is an annual event sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). An additional sponsor of the 2005 challenge is iXSea, a manufacturer of high performance underwater navigation and positioning system.

If you are a member of the media and plan on attending the event in San Diego, please contact Gretchen Wherry (AUVSI) at 703-845-9671 x203 or wherry@auvsi.org. For all other inquiries regarding the Office of Naval Research’s participation in the event, please contact Kate Shirley at (703) 696-0738.

About the Office of Naval Research

This year, the Department of the Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR) marks its 80th anniversary. For 80 years, ONR — including headquarters, ONR Global and the Naval Research Laboratory — has been a leader in advancing American naval warfighter readiness and dominance through innovations in science and technology for the Navy and Marine Corps. Today, ONR’s continued dedication to providing the Fleet and Force with the technological edge is catalyzing the advancement and delivery of combat systems, sensors, weapons, materials, robotic and autonomous systems and numerous other state-of-the-art, naval platforms and capabilities.