sUNSWim is an exciting engineering development program where students design, build and test an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for the Singapore Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Challenge (SAUVC). The program offers hands-on experience in robotics, autonomous systems, software, electronics and mechanical design, giving students the opportunity to solve real-world engineering challenges and compete on an international stage.
Research goal
To advance underwater robotics and autonomous systems by translating UNSW research into real-world robotic platforms, while developing practical solutions to the challenges of perception, navigation, control and autonomous operation in complex underwater environments.
ChallENG Area
Vertically Integrated Projects
Research Areas
Autonomous underwater navigation, underwater localisation and mapping, robotic perception and sensor fusion, underwater manipulation, applied artificial intelligence and machine learning, and maritime robotics and autonomous systems.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
- Goal 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
- Goal 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
- Join this team for
- Key activities
- Desired Skills
- Engineering Professional Practice
- Recent Highlights:
Credit
✔ 6 UoC per course
- Improve reliability, usability, and maintainability of sUNSWim's onboard electrical system
- Refine the electronics architecture for a more professional build.
- Design, build and integrate new mechanical systems that improve the flexibility and capabilities of the current AUV
- Integrate new software systems that improve the autonomy, reliability and capabilities of the AUV, including, perception, localisation, control, mission logic and system integration
- Secure and create relationships with sponsors
- Expand sUNSWim social reach
sUNSWim welcomes students across different engineering disciplines.
- Business: Sponsorship and industry, marketing and social media, event management, entrepreneurship.
- Technical: electrical engineering, software engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, computer engineering.
Conditions apply to receive Engineering Professional Practice for Vertically Integrated Projects. You will need to apply via the Student Portal for this Project before you commence so the days can count towards your Engineering Professional Practice (EPP) program requirement (maximum 30 days). Being a member of a VIP team does not guarantee that you will receive a Engineering Professional Practice placement and should not be the only motivating factor for joining a team.
Applications for Engineering Professional Practice are accepted during a student’s first term of enrolment in the VIP course. Students must complete a ChallENG Employer Evaluation form. Days will only be counted once the student has completed the VIP Course. Students must provide evidence of completion.
**Note – if students drop out of the course, no days will be counted.
SAUVC (Singaporean Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition) is an annual robotics competition held by IEEE Ocean Engineering Society of Singapore.
The SAUVC competition challenges Participating teams to build an AUV which can perform given 4 tasks. The tasks involve four widely faced challenges underwater such as AUV navigation, visual identification, acoustic localization and robotic manipulation.
Held since 2013, it has challenged 50-100 teams each year to compete in pool format competition. In 2025, sUNSWim built a competition-ready prototype from scratch within 8 months and took it to SAUVC, finishing 6th. Our robot got featured in the official article of SAUVC as one of the “cool AUV Designs”
Team Academic Lead
Dr Will Midgley
Senior Lecturer
School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering
w.midgley@unsw.edu.au