The teams competed in a Quidditch-like game in which autonomous robots vied to capture floating helium balloons and deliver them to the opponent’s goal.
“What a thrill it is for me and for all of us here at Lehigh to be able to host this incredible competition,” said Lehigh President Joseph J. Helble ’82, addressing the engineers, aspiring engineers, mathematicians and scientists who composed the interdisciplinary teams.
Helble also welcomed students from two area school districts who came to watch the finals and interact with participants. Also attending the finals were Lehigh Provost Nathan Urban and Stephen DeWeerth, dean of Lehigh’s P.C. College of Engineering and Applied Science.
The competition, held twice a year at universities across the country, aims to drive research and innovation in vehicle design, multi-agent control, swarm behaviors and communication.
Helble, himself an engineer, pointed out that the competition was “not just meeting a design challenge but having to deal with all of the unknowns—the unknown unknowns that emerge in the face of a competition where you have adversaries with adversarial intent, competitors who are trying to challenge you and wreak havoc with your plans.”
Lehigh made it to the final round on Nov. 17, teaming up with Indiana University for a competition against Baylor, Florida and George Mason universities, who won.
