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Testing: RoboBoat

Upcoming Testing Plans for RoboBoat 2026:

With RoboBoat 2026 quickly approaching, the team devised a testing plan that would make the best use of our limited testing time. With the water being frozen over in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan, there is no real opportunity to do any testing in any local bodies of water, so the team will rely on pool testing until the competition. With the conditions on the water being vastly different in Sarasota compared to the U.P., the low-level controllers can be validated but not perfectly tuned before the competition. Any testing that requires being on the water while outdoors will have to be done while in Sarasota. Ideally, all dry testing will be finished before heading to Sarasota. Testing autonomy in the pool will have to wait until Sarasota, since we only have access to an indoor pool and lack an indoor GPS module. Simulation data from testing the low-level controllers of the WAM-V will prove useful for the validation of the low-level controllers on the ASV.

Propulsion & Control Testing Plan

See Latest Updates Here!

Vision Training

(November 2025 - Present)

In collaboration with the senior project, Team Nemo, Vision training has been in the works and keeps getting better each day.

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RC Tests

(November 2025)

The electrical team has done an overhaul of the systems as we integrate into a new vessel. The team tested RC Control of the motors.

Hull Design

(September 2025)

This year, the team designed a new hull. While in the design stages, the team 3-D printed scale models to test stability.

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Njord Challenge

(August 2025)

The Team competed in the 2025 Njord Challenge in 2025. Due to unexpected circumstances, the team was unable to bring/aquire a hull in Trondhiem. They teamed up with Team Node from Spain. At the Njord Challenge they developed parts of the Safety System and trained vision.

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RoboBoat (March 2025)

The team competed at RoboBoat 2025, where they qualified on 5 tasks! Lots of improvements were made on vision, programs, and waterpump design.

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Remote Control Testing (November 2024)

The team brought the ASV to Ashmun Bay to test the RC before the lakes froze over. This excursion focused on familiarizing newer team members with the system. The team saw how the vessel maneuvered, system limitations, and overall functionality.

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Greenwood Research (May 2024)

A winch mechanism was developed to conduct Zooplankton tows for Greenwood Sanctuary. This was the first time we had a subsystem integrated on the ASV other than a spray nozzle. The autonomous deployment of the Zooplankton net was tested while conducting the tows. The implementation of the net deployment mechanism gave us key insight on how to integrate other subsystems, like the ball delivery system and the water shooter, onto the ASV.

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First Voyage (May 2024)

This was the first voyage of the most recent design iteration of the ASV. The vessel was brought to Ashmun Bay in Sault Ste. Marie to test system functionality. We tested maneuverability and top speed under remote control.

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Heading and Speed Testing (February 2024)

This video showcases Team AMORE and FAU testing the heading and speed controller on the ASV in an outdoor pool during RoboBoat 2024. The heading and speed controller dictates the behavior of the ASV during autonomous navigation. Multiple hours were spent tuning the heading and speed controller until the controller responded to the team's standards.

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Thruster Testing

(March 2023)

This video showcases Team AMORE testing the thrusters in an outdoor pool during RoboBoat 2023. This was the team's first RoboBoat, so it was an opportunity to test our WAM-V systems in a new setting. The GNC system for the ASV was a retrofitted WAM-V GNC system. The experience gained at the competition provided valuable insight on the strengths and weakness of the system. The hull used for this iteration of the ASV is the hull used for the current ASV design.