Gannon University’s Team Becomes Fourth at National Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition
Constructing an autonomous vehicle and navigating it through a course of cones and line barriers without human intervention seems like an impossible feat. Gannon University’s Robotic and Development club, GUBotDev, made it look easy at the 31st Annual Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition.
Held at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan in June, the competition served as a platform for Gannon’s talented engineering students to showcase their skills. The team’s lead software engineer, Jack Little, said that IGVC is a unique opportunity for engineering students as it is one of the few forms of competition within the field. It also allows students to work with peers in other engineering programs early on, an experience most schools don’t offer their students until their final year.
GUBotDev’s previous appearance in competition in 2021 yielded them a fifth-place finish, covering a distance of 120 feet. This year, facing heightened competition against 16 qualifying teams from across the nation, GUBotDev embarked on a mission to surpass their own achievements. In an impressive display of progress, their autonomous vehicle maneuvered 304 feet around the track within the strict five-minute time limit, securing fourth place.
Elated by his team’s accomplishments, Little expressed his satisfaction.
“As a team, we are thrilled with these results,” said Little. “Not only did we manage to double our distance since we last competed, but we continued to place higher despite the growing competition. Reflecting on how our robot performed, the team has several ideas on improvements we can make for future IGV competitions.” Determined to return to competition more prepared than ever, they are already at work on a second autonomous vehicle to implement those ideas.
IGVC is nothing if not a collaborative effort; the team consisted of the following members and their respective roles:
Jack Little, Lead Software Engineer
Aashir Tuladhar, Software Engineer
Phu Ly, Software Engineer
Austin Lippert, Lead Mechanical Engineer
Daniel Rutkowski, Mechanical Engineer
Andrew Snowdy, Lead Electrical Engineer
Nick Devine, Faculty Advisor
Steven Rowland, Faculty Advisor
The team’s presence at the competition comes after being awarded $10,000 from the Norwalk Havoc Robot League’s 2023 College and University Robotics Grant Opportunity. This gave them enough funding to start a brand-new combat robotics team to continue Gannon’s re-entry to competitive engineering and create a student project fund, which will aid in financing small, student-driven projects.
Student members of GUBotDev produce projects and currently fulfill contract work orders from the Maker Lab located on the third floor of Gannon’s Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge. The current lab has multiple 3D printers with capabilities to produce multi-function project pieces from a variety of materials and resources. The I-HACK’s sixth floor Center for Manufacturing and Technology will soon house a second robust and versatile MakerSpace to enhance students’ hands-on experiences and project development with capabilities such as additive manufacturing, metal fabrication, woodworking and more. The new floor is expected to open in Fall 2023.