Two robotics teams representing the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma showcased their expertise this summer securing victories at two competitions: the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition and the University Rover Challenge.
Sooner Competitive Robotics clinched both first place overall and first place in their specific category, AutoNav, at the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition held at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, from June 2-5. The team's performance marks their return to the top spot after securing first place in 2021 and finishing second in 2022. Their achievement garnered one of the highest scores ever recorded in the 30-year history of the organization. The competition witnessed participation from 29 universities across the United States, Canada, India and Japan.
Braden White, a senior in computer engineering from Frisco, Texas, took on the role of team captain, while Jorge Exinia, an alum of OU’s computer engineering program, held the position of president for Sooner Competitive Robotics.
The Sooner Rover Team showcased their talents at the University Rover Challenge on May 31-June 3 in Hanksville, Utah. The team began the year competing with 104 teams from 15 countries. In March, 37 teams were invited to compete in the 2023 finals. OU placed 12th overall and seventh place in the autonomous portion of the competition. Guiding the endeavor were co-captains: Benton Smith, a graduate student from Flower Mound, Texas, and Abbey Moore, an alumna in mechanical engineering from Pearland, Texas.
OU computer science alum Noah Zemlin, now a research associate at OU, provided advisory support to the students. He notes that Exinia, Smith and Moore were all active students while working on one of the teams and were either in their senior year or final graduate year.
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By Lorene A. Roberson, Gallogly College of Engineering
