Competitors in the DEVELOP Competition are challenged to compete for up to $2.4 million in cash awards by designing, building, and testing novel, wave-powered, self-charging autonomous vehicle systems that, with refinement, would be suitable for a six-month deployment in the Atlantic Ocean to monitor hurricane formation. WPTO and NOAA are seeking new ideas to develop new technologies that can help fill the data gaps at sea that make it difficult to predict the intensity of hurricanes. Accurate forecasting could better protect coastal communities from the disastrous impacts of oncoming storms.
Prototypes built during this competition are not meant to be mature systems, but should demonstrate basic functionality and potential for refinement into a commercially viable product. This theme focuses on systems that effectively integrate marine energy for propulsion, to recharge batteries, or more generally to increase the range, duration, or performance of the vehicle.
Are you a thinker, entrepreneur, facility or potential partner? Anyone with an innovative idea can help promote transformation by participating in the American-Made Challenges.