Also in the news: Navy gives young engineers a chance to shine
As part of the annual competition, engineers build unmanned vehicles that can maneuver an underwater obstacle course without any communications or control from a person or outside system.
The Navy recently hosted its 11th annual event in which young engineers compete by designing and building autonomous underwater vehicles.
During the competition, the unmanned vehicles are required to maneuver an underwater obstacle course that involved passing through a validation gate and following a pre-determined path. All tasks must be performed without communications or control from a person or off-board computer, according to the Navy.
"Many of the programs that have competitors here today are unencumbered by policy, which in turn can lead to novel approaches and breakthroughs in technology," said Steve Kopenick, deputy of program development for the ocean systems division of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego. "These are the kinds of scientists and engineers that the Navy, and particularly SPAWAR, is looking for."