Department of Defence to host maritime robotics competition

The Australian Department of Defence has announced that it will host RobotX, an international autonomous maritime robotic vehicles competition, at the Sydney International Regatta Centre, in November 2022.

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the biennial event will consist of teams made up of students from multiple engineering disciplines from universities across the world. Minister Price added that the competition enables students, academic institutions and industry partners to focus on the challenges of maritime autonomy, and encouraged Australian businesses and universities to take part in the event.

“Through our international alliances, Australia and our partners are developing the next generation of robotics specialists. The Royal Australian Navy ‘RAS-AI Strategy 2040’ encourages engagement in experimentation, cooperation and innovation at all levels to fulfil our potential. RobotX is a perfect environment for students to develop the skills necessary to support the future capability needs,” Minister Price said.

Defence will work with United States not-for-profit organisation RoboNation to deliver the competition, which will include an industry day for industry to connect with STEM talent in academia.

The Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre will support the event, which will consist of a range of obstacle course challenges, funded by Defence’s Next Generation Technologies Fund.

Past participating countries have included Australia, the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China and Singapore.

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