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A few weeks ago, Navier USN won the world challenge of autonomous ships - Njord in Trondheim. Now Navier also joins Ocean Autonomy Cluster as our newest member.
Navier USN is a student group at the University of South-Eastern Norway in Horten. The students build and program small autonomous or self-driving sea drones, with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace as their main sponsor and several industry partners.
The team is comprised of students from engineering, IT, maritime studies, economics, and management, all sharing a genuine passion for innovation and problem-solving.
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Navier USN's wessel "Triton" in Njord Challenge. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Ocean Autonomy Cluster
Winners of Njord Challenge
In August Navier USN took home the victory in the Njord Challenge 2024, the world championship for students in autonomous ships, a yearly competition held in Trondheim.
"We are especially proud of the world championship victory since Navier USN had the fewest students and the lowest level of education, bachelor's degree.", Sara Ajzenhamer-Selnes says. She is project manager for Navier USN.
"We are impressed with the excellent organization of Njord Challenge 2024 and look forward to seeing its further development in 2025.", Ajzenhamer-Selnes says.
During the competition, the USN students generously shared their entire dataset with all the participating teams.
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Sara Ajzenhamer-Selnes, Navier USN. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Ocean Autonomy Cluster
"The Njord Challenge is an excellent meeting place where we can share knowledge, experiences, and gain new perspectives across borders.", says project manager Markus Marstad.
Aleksander Nordmo is technical lead and one of Navier USN's founders. He says:
"Participating in Njord gave us a concrete goal to work towards. We received clear guidelines and strong support from the organizers throughout the process. We also competed in the Njord Challenge last year, but we didn’t perform as well as we did this year. That experience ignited a fire within us. By systematically identifying our strengths and weaknesses, along with exploring opportunities we were interested in, we developed an overarching technical strategy that provided the foundation we needed for victory."
Part of a larger network
"We at Navier are very excited to join OAC", says Ajzenhamer-Selnes .
"This allows us to be part of a larger network where we can contribute new knowledge, offer unique insights from a student perspective, and help shape the future of ocean autonomy for Norway and the world. We believe that autonomous systems will play a key role in addressing many of the challenges our society faces, and we are eager to ride this wave of innovation!", Ajzenhamer-Selnes says.
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Aleksander Nordmo, Navier USN. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Ocean Autonomy Cluster.
Next generation of innovators
"We are happy to welcome Navier USN student team to the Ocean Autonomy Cluster, Frode Halvoresen says. He is manager of Ocean Autonomy Cluster.
"This talented group represents the next generation of innovators, and their achievements are truly impressive. By pushing the boundaries of marine technology, they are not only setting a high standard for future developments but also putting Norway on the global map for maritime innovation. Moreover, their ability to effectively communicate their work and vision is outstanding. We look forward to seeing their continued success and contribution to the cluster.", Halvorsen says.
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Members of Team Navier USN at Njord Challenge 2024 in Trondheim. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Ocean Autonomy Cluster.