A Linux-powered robot submarine dubbed Mongoose and built by students from the Georgia Institute of Technology was named Best Newcomer in the eighth annual Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Autonomous Underwater… Vehicle Competition, held in San Diego last weekend. Captained by graduate student John “Jack” Griffin, the GT team took home a $1,000 prize for its efforts.

The Mongoose and 18 other student-built subs attempted to successfully navigate through a field of obstacles and complete their programmed mission. The University of Florida's Windows XP-powered SubjuGator unmanned submarine took first place and earned about $7,000, with Canada's Ecole de Technologie Superieure placing second, defending champion MIT third, and Duke University fourth. Point totals, based on a complicated formula, were still being determined Monday — a full day after the competition ended.

Georgia Tech finished 12th overall but impressed the judges enough to be named the best of the five newcomers to the competition. According to Griffin, “there were a few other Linux subs, and a bunch of Windows ones. I don't know how many of each.”

The Mongoose ran 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 all about the Mongoose project here:

 
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