The culminating test was the underwater test. This validated that the device is waterproof and performs as expected. A mock keel was made to simulate a real ship and was manually moved to the "center" following the readings of the device.

A second accuracy test was performed, this time using the handheld receiver. The test validated the required half-inch accuracy. 

A rough accuracy test of the system was performed to validate the required half-inch performance.

The team also performed an activation test at Austal. Emilio pulled the activation cable from one of the wingwalls and was able to successfully activate the device. It was found that the tactile feedback of the release was not felt by the operator, necessitating some way to ensure that the arms were actually released.

With the help of the sponsor, the team was able to get access to the Austal USA shipyard and perform a dry installation test of the system. The video shows the device being installed with only two people, to validate the ease of instillation. In addition, the test revealed that the lower two mounting brackets were unnecessary and could be removed.

After determining that the laser range finder was no longer viable, the team pivoted towards the rotating contact beam system. An early prototype was built to analyze the potential performance and issues.

The team bought a laser range finder and ran an experiment to determine how turbidity affects the reading. The laser was lowered into salt water and measured the distance to a disk. The disk was placed at known distances in order to calculate the error. The turbidity of the water was slowly increased until the laser stopped working. This test was crucial for the design process, as it eliminated laser range finders as a viable option. They do not work with dark surfaces, and ships' hulls are usually dark.