A Linux-powered robot submarine built by students from the Georgia Institute of Technology will compete this weekend for a cash prize of approximately $7000. The “Mongoose” and 18 other student-built subs will attempt to successfully navigate through a field of obstacles and complete their programmed mission.

The eighth annual Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition is being held at the US Office of Naval Research Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego, which is co-sponsoring the event. Georgia Tech's (GT's) competitors will include 17 other universities and one high school.

In 2004, eventual champion MIT became the first team to complete the entire course in the history of the event. As a result, the MIT team won $7,000 in prize money. This year's winner will receive about the same amount, GT team captain John “Jack” Griffin told LinuxDevices.com.

The Mongoose runs Debian Sarge Linux on its PC/104-based embedded computer. Griffin said his team raised about $7,000 during the last year to finance the project. PC/104 board-maker Parvus Corp. sponsored the project through a donation of several of its SpacePC PC/104 CPU modules, OnPower PC/104 power supplies, and I/O modules.

The GT Mongoose team supplied LinuxDevices.com with a whitepaper (including photos) that describes the project and how the submarine was designed and built.

Read the Mongoose whitepaper here:

Stay tuned for further results (and hopefully, photos) of the competition, as the contest gets under way this weekend.

 
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