Welcome aboard the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Challenge, a flagship program of the MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute that’s making waves in the world of robotics education! This online course is your ticket to the main event: the 4-week summer challenge where students dive into the deep end of autonomy by programming underwater vehicles to launch light torpedoes with the precision of a robotic squid on a mission.

But before you don your scuba gear (or, more accurately, your keyboard and mouse), this online prep course is your submarine’s dry dock. It’s designed to equip you with the foundational knowledge and tools you’ll need to thrive in the summer session. Think of it as your pre-dive briefing: we’ll cover everything from the basics of underwater navigation to the nitty-gritty of coding and control, so you can spend less time treading water and more time torpedoing your way to victory.