Events and Competitions

Maritime robotics competitions, conferences, workshops, and community meetings.

Competitions

Virtual RobotX (VRX)

Website: https://github.com/osrf/vrx

The Virtual RobotX is a simulation-based competition for autonomous surface vehicles.

Format: - Virtual competition in Gazebo simulation - Teams develop autonomy algorithms - Standardized platform per competition rules (often a WAM-V) - Various tasks (navigation, perception, manipulation)

Tasks include: - Waypoint navigation - Channel navigation - Object detection and classification - Docking - Acoustic perception - Manipulation challenges

Frequency: Periodic (check website for announcements)

Status: Check the VRX GitHub repository for current announcements and schedules.

Participation: - Teams register online - Develop code locally - Submit for evaluation - Virtual competition events

Benefits: - No vehicle hardware required - Accessible globally - Learn maritime robotics fundamentals - Networking with community

MBZIRC Maritime Grand Challenge

Website: https://www.mbzirc.com/

The Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge includes maritime robotics tasks.

Format: - Physical and simulation competitions - Multi-domain challenges (aerial + maritime) - Collaborative tasks - Advanced autonomy requirements

Challenges: - Multi-robot coordination - Object manipulation - Search and retrieval - Autonomous navigation

Frequency: Periodic (check the official site for schedules)

Status: The MBZIRC Maritime Grand Challenge final demonstration ran from January 11 to February 6, 2024; the official results note no winners, and recognize UNIZG-FER, Team KAIST, and FLY EAGLE as best performing teams. Three of five finalist teams completed the inspection task. See the official results page for details: Final Results.

Prize Money: More than US$3 million in prize money (per ASPIRE announcement).

RobotX Competition

Website: http://robotx.org/

Physical autonomous surface vehicle competition (VRX is the virtual counterpart).

Format: - On-water competition - Standardized platform per competition rules - Teams bring perception, autonomy, and control systems

Location: Varies by year (check the official site)

Tasks: Similar to VRX but with real environmental challenges

Frequency: Periodic (check the official site)

Student Competitions

SAUVC (Singapore AUV Challenge)

Website: https://sauvc.org/

Underwater robotics competition for students.

Format: - Pool-based tasks - Autonomous underwater navigation - Object detection and manipulation - Time-based scoring

Participants: Student teams (see competition rules for eligibility)

Tasks: - Gate passing - Target acquisition - Object manipulation - Autonomous behaviors

MATE ROV Competition

Website: https://www.mateinspires.org/

Student ROV competition with multiple classes.

Format: - Student divisions - Remotely operated vehicle tasks - Engineering documentation - Team presentations

Tasks: - Underwater work simulations - Real-world mission scenarios - Manipulation and sampling

European Robotics League (ERL) - Emergency

Includes maritime emergency response scenarios.

Format: - Search and rescue missions - Multi-robot systems - Realistic disaster scenarios

Conferences

OCEANS Conference

Website: https://oceansconference.org/

Premier conference for marine technology and ocean engineering.

Locations: Alternates between IEEE/MTS OCEANS and MTS/IEEE OCEANS

Content: - Technical paper presentations - Industry exhibitions - Tutorials and workshops - Networking events

Topics: - Ocean observing systems - Underwater vehicles and robotics - Marine renewable energy - Ocean acoustics - Subsea engineering

Frequency: Annual (sometimes multiple events per year in different regions)

ROS Maritime Relevance: - Papers on AUV/ASV autonomy - Sensor integration - Communication systems - Field deployments

ICRA (International Conference on Robotics and Automation)

Website: https://www.ieee-ras.org/conferences-workshops/fully-sponsored/icra

Major robotics conference with maritime robotics sessions.

Maritime Topics: - Underwater SLAM - Marine robot planning and control - Multi-robot coordination - Bio-inspired underwater robots

Frequency: Annual

Format: - Paper presentations - Workshops (including maritime-focused) - Demos and exhibitions - Industry sessions

IROS (Intelligent Robots and Systems)

International conference on intelligent robots, including marine systems.

Content: Similar to ICRA with broader scope

Frequency: Annual

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) Symposium

Focused conference specifically on AUVs.

Content: - Latest AUV technology - Field reports - Research developments - Industry perspectives

Frequency: Biennial

Workshops

ICRA/IROS Maritime Robotics Workshops

Specialized workshops at major robotics conferences:

Topics: - Marine perception - Underwater manipulation - Long-range autonomy - Swarm robotics - Sim-to-real transfer

Format: - Invited talks - Contributed presentations - Panel discussions - Networking

REMARO Workshops

Network: REMARO (Reliable AI for Marine Robotics)

Events: - Summer schools - Hackathons - Training courses - Collaborative workshops

Past Events: - TU Delft Hackathon 2022

ROS Maritime Working Group Meetings

Regular WG Meetings

Schedule: Monthly (see schedule for current times)

Format: - Virtual meetings (online) - Open to all community members - Rotating topics and presentations

Typical Agenda: - Project updates - Package demonstrations - Technical discussions - Community announcements

How to Join: 1. Watch for announcements on ROS Discourse 2. Join the Google Group for calendar invites 3. Join via Zulip chat for informal discussion

Meeting Notes: Google Doc

Recordings: Posted to Discourse after meetings

Special Events

  • Package release announcements
  • Guest presentations
  • Collaborative development sessions
  • Competition debriefs

Regional Events

Europe

  • European Robotics Forum: Annual robotics event
  • National maritime robotics days: Various countries
  • University open houses: Robotics lab demonstrations

North America

  • ROSCon: Annual ROS conference (maritime track when applicable)
  • IEEE conferences: Regional robotics events
  • University competitions: Various student events

Asia-Pacific

  • SAUVC: Singapore AUV Challenge
  • Regional ROV competitions
  • Research symposia

Upcoming Events

Event Calendar

For the latest event information and registration:

2025 Events (Check for Updates)

  • ROS Maritime WG Meetings: Monthly (see schedule above)
  • OCEANS 2025: Check oceansconference.org for dates and locations
  • ICRA 2025: Check the IEEE RAS website for dates and location
  • IROS 2025: Check the official IROS website for dates and location
  • VRX: Monitor GitHub for announcements
  • MBZIRC: Check mbzirc.com for future competition dates

How to Participate

Competitions

  1. Form a Team: Gather interested members
  2. Register Early: Competitions have registration deadlines
  3. Prepare: Use simulation environments to develop
  4. Document: Maintain good engineering documentation
  5. Engage: Connect with other teams and organizers

Conferences

  1. Submit Papers: Research contributions
  2. Attend Virtually/In-Person: Many offer hybrid options
  3. Present Posters: Alternative to full papers
  4. Network: Connect with researchers and industry

Community Meetings

  1. Join Zulip Chat: Real-time discussion
  2. Attend WG Meetings: Monthly maritime robotics meetings (see schedule)
  3. Contribute: Share projects and experiences
  4. Collaborate: Find collaborators for projects

This page was last updated: January 7, 2026