Competition Specs
The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Team at Kennesaw State University (KSU) particapted in the 2019-2020 International Robosub Competition. Every year (COVID permitting), AUV at KSU goes to San Deigo California to compete in an obsticle course in which our vehicle (underwater sub) needs to traverse through autonomously. To learn about Robosub, go to robosub.org. If you want to know more about the team, go to auvksu.org.
Competition Overview
Brief Project Description: Our team needed to create an autonomous underwater vehicle team that will be able to traverse through an obstacle course autonomously. Task vary from locating and traveling through the starting gate with style (spinning, barrel-rolling), locate certain obstacles with hydrophones (pick up frequencies underwater and go towards them), picking and placing objects in rotating bins, and many more. However, due to COVID-19, the in-person competition did not happen, rather an online competition was prepared. Here, our team needed to build a website, create a Technical Design Report (TDR), and prepare a series of short technical videos. These aspects were used to demonstrate our vehicle's autonomy without actually being at the competition site. The vehicle will have these tasks:
- Choose Your Side (Gate)
- Make the Grade (Buoy)
- Collecting (Bins)
- Survive the Shootout (Torpedoes)
- Cash or Smash (Octagon)
Hard Part of the Project: The hardest part of the project was being about to work on the sub due to COVID. In 2020, COVID prevented AUV from traveling and it delayed us from being about to work on the sub due everything being online. This year was a bit better, being that everyone was able to meet up in person and work on the sub.