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The future of naval engineering was on display last week, as 13 teams of high school and college students did battle at the ninth annual RoboBoat Competition in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin C. Selby last week introduced a new vision for future naval power—one based on faster development of unmanned, autonomous systems, vibrant partnerships with industry and academia, and reimagined naval formations.

During a visit to San Diego for the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21, Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin Selby said America’s growing focus on autonomous capabilities is showing impressive results.

The Department of the Navy (DoN) is offering more than $10 million in funding opportunities to attract new small business partners and identify technology advances in the areas of autonomy, artificial intelligence, microelectronics, and command and control networks.

In September 2019, EMILY—officially known as the Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard—operated in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. An unmanned surface vehicle, EMILY helped disaster responders deliver medicine and other needed supplies.

In the coming years, the U.S Navy and Marine Corps will encounter new challenges to their operational capabilities. From climate change to adversaries with enhanced technological capabilities, these challenges will require forces that are innovative, agile, and ready to adapt to new realities. How naval forces will confront these challenges will be the topic of a conversation with Chief of Naval Research Rear Admiral Lorin C. Selby, hosted during the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition, April 3-5, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

Student engineering teams from Princeton, Washington College and the University of Alabama have won first place in their respective events at the “Promoting Electric Propulsion” (PEP) boat races, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE). In just six years, this electric boat-building competition has grown from a single university to 34, with more than 200 students who took part in the five-mile races on Broad Bay in Virginia Beach. Dr. Steve Russell, program officer, Sea Warfare and Weapons department, said he launched the PEP competition with a colleague from ASNE, Dr. Leigh McCue, and Tim Cullis, Naval Sea Warfare Center Carderock, after seeing a public race by local hobbyists in the Chesapeake Bay.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR), Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and the NavalX Midwest Tech Bridge recently sponsored a three-stage competition called the Artificial Intelligence for Small Unit Maneuvers (AISUM) Prize Challenge.

The Office of Naval Research recently sponsored the Defend the Republic STEM competition at George Mason University in Virginia. The contest featured lighter-than-air vehicles, also called blimps.