Reflecting a commitment to its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as its Long Term Vision – ART for Human Possibilities – Yamaha Motor Australia has announced its sponsorship of the 2022 Maritime RobotX Challenge.
Hosted by US non-profit RoboNation and the Australian Department of Defence, with support from the Next Generation Technologies Fund, the biennial event is being held for the first time in Australia from 11 to 17 November 2022 at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.
Yamaha Motor Australia’s sponsorship will see its marine and land products utilised to assist with running the event. In addition, Yamaha’s Sky Division will conduct a flight demonstration of its latest Fazer UAV helicopter, while its Marine Division will demonstrate the latest Helm Master EX fully integrated boat control technology. Both systems are an example of the commercial and recreational applications of Yamaha’s autonomous technology.
Yamaha Motor Australia will also have a range of its products on display in the trade display area providing participants and visiting guests with an opportunity to learn more about the wide range of Yamaha Motor products.
The RobotX event pitches the best international university minds head-to-head in an autonomous marine vehicle challenge. The international competition is designed to foster students’ interest in marine robotics systems with a focus on the science and engineering of cooperative autonomy.
Using WAM-V marine craft, teams compete to develop the best autonomous marine system that will work in real-world situations. For the 2022 event, the additional complexity of autonomous drone flight has been added. Each team’s WAM-V will be required to undertake a series of tasks and autonomously navigate competition courses, gathering data and information along the way.
Member for Penrith, Stuart Ayres, said Sydney International Regatta Centre was the perfect venue to host the 2022 Maritime RobotX Challenge. “Sydney International Regatta Centre is the premier outdoor sport and recreation venue in Western Sydney,” Mr Ayres said. “The 2022 Maritime RobotX Challenge promises to provide an exciting week of competition between some of the world’s leading minds in marine robotics. The vehicles on demonstration during the competition could be consumer marine vehicles of the future.”
The RobotX competition facilitates the growth of international connections between individual students, academic institutions, and industry partners. It also provides participants with a chance to develop skills to prepare them for a career in robotics.
