On the Water with Team Integer: Highlights from RoboBoat 2025

Will Ard, Autonomy Engineer II, on the water at RoboBoat 2025.

Does it get any better than spending your work week on the water in sunny Florida? We had an incredible time at RoboNation’s RoboBoat student competition, truly honing our sea legs alongside some of the brightest aspiring engineers out there.

It was inspiring to see high school and university students from around the world compete by designing and building autonomous robotic boats. They put their creations to the test, maneuvering their vessels through a challenging course that mimicked real-world problems faced by the maritime industry.

We were proud to have some of our team members and students from our partner schools Benedict College and LSU College of Engineering volunteer as judges and assist the students on the water:

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  Crystal Pee Bowman, Ph.D., Technical Program Manager – Workforce Development; Kamya Jackson, Benedict College student; and Joshua Taylor, Software Engineer II, at RoboBoat 2025.

  William Ard, a leading autonomous systems expert at Integer, evaluated the students’ vehicles as they navigated challenges in perception and navigation. Will even dialed into our All Hands meeting from his kayak, so we all felt like we were part of the action!

• Joshua Taylor helped build the obstacles for the competition course and spent countless hours in a kayak, tracking successful boat runs, counting buoys hit, and even towing stranded boats. He was essential in keeping the competition running smoothly and supporting students out on the water.
• Crystal Pee Bowman, Ph.D. served as a judge, evaluating student presentations on their boat’s design, strategy, and technical approach. Her insights will help students fine-tune iterations of their projects.
• Chad Carpenter, Ph.D. served as a self-described “kayaking boat wrangler.” With winds gusting at 10-20 mph, Chad dedicated much of his time to adjusting key course elements like floating rafts with signage, adding deeper keels to prevent them from sinking. Additionally, when boats lost connection with their RC controllers, cutting off power, he would paddle out to retrieve and tow them back in.

Will Ard, Autonomy Engineer II; Mikhalib Green LSU grad student; Chad Carpenter, Ph.D., Subsea Data Intelligence Engineering Manager; Crystal Pee Bowman, Ph.D., Technical Program Manager – Workfore Development; and Joshua Taylor, Software Engineer II, at RoboBoat 2025.

With such strong winds, Chad and the rest of our team had to stay on their toes, ready to paddle at a moment’s notice!

Mikhalib Green, a graduate student from LSU who volunteered with us, shared: “It was enlightening seeing the different designs and approaches the teams had and was inspiring to witness the comradery between competitors. This helped me gain a better understanding of how my research can be applied to these systems. It was also a great networking event where I had the opportunity to meet with other staff members and learn more about the different areas of naval engineering.”

This important event not only showcased impressive student engineering but also encouraged students to pursue STEM careers while connecting them with industry leaders. We’re excited to participate in future RoboNation events!