From August 12th to 13th, the 4th World University Underwater Robot Competition (WUURC) was held in Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City,co-sponsored by the Chinese Society of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Russia’s Marinette Industry Center, Russia’s Robot Development Center, Hainan Provincial Department of Education, and Hainan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the event was undertaken by the Administrative Bureau of Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City and theNanhai institute of Harbin Engineering University.

Since its launch, adhering to the purpose of“stimulating the cultivation of innovative talents and promoting international youth exchanges”, the competition has attracted more than 130 teams from 27 universities and institutions at home and abroad to register actively. The total number of participants has exceeded 600 person-times, reaching a new high in scale.

Focusing on the industrial needs of the maritime field and the frontiers of underwater intelligent equipment, the competition simulates practical scenarios such as underwater pipeline inspection and environmental sample collection. It focuses on assessing robots’capabilities in underwater detection, intelligent control, and autonomous decision-making, so as to promote the innovative development of underwater intelligent perception and navigation technologies.