Dynautics, a developer of marine autopilots and associated technologies, is a sponsor of the Society of Maritime Industries’ Marine Autonomy Challenge (MAChallenge) competition.
The MAChallenge encourages young marine technologists and supports career development in fields driving the future of marine robotics.
The competition relies on strong industry support. Dynautics provides each team with a suite of technology tools, including its proven marine simulation package, along with direct hands-on involvement.
Significant discounts are also available to academic and higher education establishments worldwide for the company’s marine simulator suite.
Dynautics reportedly views the MAChallenge as a way to support the talent shaping the future of marine robotics and autonomy. The company received positive feedback from this year’s winning team, Queen’s University Belfast.
Ewan McGrath, Queens University Belfast, stated, “Taking part in the MAChallenge was a brilliant experience. As a team, we used Dynautics marine simulation software and hardware. We were able to write and test our own scripts to control the autonomous side of the boat. It meant we could go from simple ideas to actually seeing the boat navigate, map pollution and handle real-world challenges like GPS drift and noisy sensors in the simulation phase.
“The challenge really pushed us to think creatively and problem-solve on the fly, and Dynautics gave us the platform we needed to bring everything together. It was great to learn how the theory connects with real systems, and I’ve come away with a much deeper understanding of autonomy and how it can be applied on the water.”
Caleb Hair, Queens University Belfast, said, “The MAChallenge was one of the best competitions I’ve participated in. We were exposed to some seriously tough problems, worked with networks and computer vision, and practiced good coding standards. The entire project required a variety of skills to produce a viable solution, which in turn demanded clear communication and knowledge sharing in the team.”
Tom Chant MBE, Chief Executive, Society of Maritime Industries, added, “I’d also like to express sincere thanks to our sponsors and mentors, whose generous support and guidance made this initiative possible. The MAChallenge plays a crucial role in opening doors for the next generation of maritime autonomy talent, and it’s inspiring to see what can be achieved when industry and academia come together to support innovation and growth.”
