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MIT Edges Cornell for 2002 AUV Competition Title
The tightest finish in the five-year history of the event saw MIT edge Cornell to once again take first place in AUVSI and ONR's International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition held August 3-4 in San Diego. The victory marked the fourth time MIT has placed first.
The mission, which required the teams to survey a body of water, locate and identify the height of 17 barcoded platforms, and report the data in a minimal amount of time, proved sufficiently challenging to all of the entrants. In the finals, MIT's AUV correctly reported 4 objects while Cornell's AUV correctly reported 5 objects. The downfall for Cornell was a longer reporting time which resulted in a steep penalty and, ultimately, dropped the team to second place.
Rounding out the top five was the University of Florida in third place, followed by Duke in fourth place and Amador Valley High School in fifth.
The fifth annual event was held that the TRANSDEC facility, part of the U.S. Navy's SPAWAR Systems Center in San Diego, California. The facility provided a clear body of water which allowed good viewing of the vehicles, and its location on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean afforded entrants and spectators a constant breeze and spectacular view.
At the Awards Party following the event, Honorary Judges BGen (sel) Frank Panter, USMC, the Vice Chief of Naval Research, and RADM Mike Sharp, USN, PEO for Mine and Undersea Warfare, complimented all of the students for their efforts - declaring them "all winners" and awarded prizes totaling $20,000 to the competitors.
Sponsors for the event, which received television coverage nationwide, included Naval Undersea Warfare Center - Newport, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, TAMSCO and AUVSI's Lindbergh Chapter.
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Competitions
