From May 28 to 31, the 2026 Singapore AUV Challenge took place at the Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City. A team from the Nanhai Research Institute of Harbin Engineering University (HEU) secured a second-place prize, marking HEU’s first award in this competition.
The Singapore AUV Challenge, held as a parallel event to the 2026 International Ocean Technology Conference, has been successfully organized ten times and has drawn participants from 25 countries. It is recognized as Asia’s largest and most internationally influential student robotics competition in the underwater domain.
YIN Jingwei, President of HEU, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Also present were IEEE Fellow Mandar Chitre, OES Secretary Harry Vishnu, organizing committee chair Peng Luoyuan, and technical chair Rajat Mishra.
YIN Jingwei noted that the 2026 Singapore AUV Challenge serves as both an important platform for testing innovation and practical skills and a vibrant opportunity for cross-cultural exchange. As one of the event hosts, HEU will continue to strengthen its efforts in cultivating young talent in the field of underwater intelligent equipment. He expressed hope that participants from China and abroad would push their limits, foster friendships through intellectual exchange, and contribute their energy to the advancement of marine science and technology.
Representatives from the competition organizing committee delivered briefings on safety protocols, rules, scoring criteria, and technical adjudication points to ensure a fair and orderly event.
The competition focused on cutting-edge technologies in marine robotics and underwater intelligent equipment. It featured multiple real-world scenario tasks designed to assess core capabilities in autonomous underwater vehicle operation, including underwater inspection, target searching, and sample retrieval. These tasks tested participating teams’ strengths in system integration, intelligent control, and autonomous navigation in complex underwater environments, with the goal of advancing related technologies. Following intense competition, a total of eight awards were presented, including first, second, third, and innovation prizes.
This marked the first time the event was held outside Singapore, having been hosted in China. It provided a high-level international platform for young scholars worldwide to engage in academic exchange and showcase their achievements.
