ROBOBOAT 2026
Let's get to know about RoboBoat 2026, our next competition!
What is RoboBoat?
RoboBoat is an international student program established to generate, cultivate, and enhance a community of innovators capable of making substantive contributions to the Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) domain.
The vision is achieved by providing a venue and mechanism whereby practitioners of robotics and maritime autonomy come together at RoboBoat to share knowledge, innovate, and collaboratively advance the technology of ASV systems.
What's New in RoboBoat 2026?
This year's competition introduces the Storm Response theme, challenging teams to develop autonomous surface vehicles capable of operating in post-disaster maritime scenarios.
Storm Response Theme
The 2026 theme focuses on disaster response scenarios, requiring ASVs to navigate challenging conditions, identify hazards, and perform critical emergency operations autonomously.
Six Mission Tasks
From evacuation routes to harbor alerts, each task simulates real-world emergency scenarios requiring intelligent decision-making and rapid response capabilities.
Real-World Applications
Technologies developed for RoboBoat can be applied to disaster relief, search and rescue operations, and maritime safety in climate-affected regions.
Alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals
RoboBoat 2026's Storm Response theme directly contributes to achieving key UN Sustainable Development Goals through autonomous maritime technology innovation.
Design Documentation
Before hitting the water, teams are evaluated on their engineering process through a series of design documentation submissions.
Technical Design Report
The Technical Design Report (TDR) outlines the team's design principles and competition strategy, explaining the rationale behind the selected autonomy challenge tasks and how those choices shaped key technical decisions across the hull, propulsion, control, and autonomy systems.
Team Introduction Video
Team Introduction Video is a video created by the team to introduce the team members and highlight the team's personality. The video may be made as creatively and uniquely as possible to reflect the distinctive characteristics of the team.
Team Website
The Team Website is an online platform showcasing the team's identity and project. It contains team information, vessel photos or videos, development documentation, design records, and a blog tracking the vessel's progress. As the project's first impression, the website must be visually appealing and easy to navigate, using core design principles such as contrast, repetition, alignment, and grouping to present content effectively.
Design Strategy Presentation
Judges will inspect the team's vehicle and assess technical design, technical innovation, and craftsmanship of the design. Team members will present to answer technical questions posed by the judges during this inspection and be prepared to explain their design strategy and how decisions made impacts on the technical design, functionality, and craftsmanship.
Autonomy Challenge
Our ASV must demonstrate intelligence by completing these task autonomously.