GREENVILLE, S.C. (June 19, 2019) – The Bob Jones University robotics team placed first and third in the Cyber Challenge and the Self-Drive Challenge respectively during the 27th annual Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan June 7-10. The team was awarded a total of $2,100 and presented with plaques commemorating their achievements.
BJU competed against over 45 teams from universities across the country. Embry-Riddle University, The Georgia Institute of Technology, Lawrence Technological University, New York University, the University of Detroit-Mercy, and the United States Military Academy at West Point were among those represented at the competition.
The Self-Drive Challenge event required teams to design, build and program an autonomous vehicle that could successfully navigate the obstacle course in the least amount of time. Teams were also required to submit a written report and give an oral presentation illustrating their knowledge of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Risk Management Framework (RMF) process.
Team members that traveled to the competition included senior Lane Camfield of Greenville, South Carolina; sophomore Marcela Martinez of San Pedro Sula, Honduras ; senior R.J. Ring of Greenville, South Carolina; and junior Alex Raddatz of Bolingbrook, Illinois. Several other BJU students worked on the project during the semester. Faculty members-Dr. Bill Lovegrove and Mr. Will Woodham-served as sponsors.
“The team did an excellent job preparing the vehicle, Bruin 3, for this year’s competition,” said Dr. Bill Lovegrove, head of the Department of Engineering. “We are thankful for the opportunity to demonstrate the ability of our students in competitions like this.”
Since 2005, University teams have regularly participated in the IGVC. In their most recent competition in 2017, the BJU team came in 3rd in the lower-level “Auto-Nav” competition and 2nd in the upper-level “Self-Drive” competition.
Established in 1993, the IGVC is overseen by the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center (formerly known as TARDEC) and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.
