GEORGE MASON STUDENTS FLY INTO FIRST PLACE WITH NO GPS, NO GRADE, AND (ALMOST) NO PROBLEMS

FAIRFAX, Va., May 4 -- George Mason University issued the following news release:

Driven by passion, persistence, and what they call "the love of the game," a group of George Mason University students affiliated with the Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC) claimed first place at the 2026 Raytheon Autonomous Vehicle Competition at EagleBank Arena on April 24, 2026.

The competition challenged student teams to design and deploy autonomous aerial and ground vehicle systems capable of executing a series of increasingly complex missions. Unlike prior outdoor iterations, the 2026 competition eliminated access to GPS, forcing teams to rely on advanced onboard sensing and visual navigation techniques to orient themselves in space. EagleBank ...