The four-day event ended yesterday with the University of Florida repeating as champions and winning $7,000, and Duke finishing second and claiming $5,000.

Academic teams from 20 colleges and universities and one high school deployed their submersibles in a pool at Point Loma’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center and attempted to complete three underwater tasks. The crew from San Diego City College was among 11 teams to navigate its 22-pound vessel through a gate.

Subvehicles may be deployed within the arena to search for, and/or acquire information or objects. Subvehicle(s), must be fully autonomous, and must coordinate their actions and sensory inputs with all other components operating in the arena. Subvehicles may not act so independently that they could be considered separate, distinct entries to the competition. Any number of cooperating autonomous subvehicles is permitted, however none are required. If used, subvehicles must be deployed by launching it from the ground or air under command of the primary fully autonomous aerial robot. Subvehicles may be airborne or multimode (able to operate in the air or on the ground). Subvehicles, whether air or ground launched, must fly the full 3km course autonomously either being carried all or part of the way by the primary aerial robot, or by flying along with it independently but fully autonomously.