The JCU IEEE Student Branch team accomplished remarkable achievements during the competition, securing two prestigious awards. Their exceptional performance earned them the esteemed Blue Robotics Award, which included a set of four thrusters along with a thruster controller. Additionally, they received the esteemed Value Can Do award, which came with a generous cash prize of one thousand dollars.

The Student Branch team’s success can be attributed to their innovative and cost-effective approach to building the autonomous boat’s “brain.” While the physical boat remained the same for all participants, the real challenge lay in developing a sophisticated control system that effectively guided the boat’s actions.

The judges were highly impressed with the team’s resourceful utilization of Raspberry Pis, leading to their well-deserved recognition and awards. The student project manager Ethan Waters, mentioned their plans to invest the prize money in upgrading the boat’s computing power by acquiring a dedicated central processing unit. This enhancement would significantly enhance the boat’s performance in future competitions.

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