Navigating a floating obstacle course with aplomb, an autonomous LiDAR-equipped boat from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University captured first place overall at the 7th Annual International RoboBoat Competition held July 13 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Outfitted with Velodyne’s HDL-32 LiDAR sensor, the pilot-less Embry-Riddle vessel crossed the finish line ahead of the 12 other teams participating in the event, which was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, the AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International) Foundation and several industry partners. The race is the precursor to the Maritime RobotX Challenge, a major AUVSI competition in Singapore.