A group of George Mason University students won first place at the 2026 Raytheon Autonomous Vehicle Competition held at EagleBank Arena on April 24. The team, affiliated with the Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center, competed against other student groups to design and operate autonomous aerial and ground vehicles without using GPS.
The competition required teams to complete a series of complex missions using only onboard sensing and visual navigation systems. This format challenged participants to develop advanced technical solutions for real-world robotics problems. The event was supported by an Office of Naval Research grant that has helped transform EagleBank Arena into a venue for national robotics competitions since 2023.
George Mason’s team successfully completed all three mission objectives, earning the highest overall score. Team members participated out of personal interest rather than as part of a formal class or for academic credit. “This isn’t even an official club yet,” said computer science major Gagan Manjunatha. “We’re here for the love of the game.”
Team lead Meah Chambers, a junior in electrical engineering, said their structure allows students to return year after year: “A lot of teams do use this as their senior design project, but the nice thing about us not doing it is that we have people that can come back year after year.” Chambers also said she enjoys working toward shared goals on design teams: “It’s like I’ve done three mini senior designs. I like the design team experience, working on a team for an end goal.”
Emma Misevschi, an electrical engineering major, described how students volunteered their time over two semesters without course funding or integration: “We were given the challenges in September and two semesters to plan and work on our system… Everything just happened to come together this week,” she said.
Despite late-arriving funding from sponsor Raytheon and limited resources during development, the team overcame logistical hurdles by borrowing equipment and working long hours in shared labs. Computer engineering major Logan Teyema summed up their approach: “Water is life, food is fuel, and sleep is a crutch.”
When judges evaluated each system’s performance across all challenges—including drone takeoff from moving vehicles, visual target detection and communication between air and ground units—George Mason’s entry performed consistently well.
The winning roster included Luis Anchundia, James Daniel, Konraad Ludwig, Hassan Youssef, Emma Misevschi, Thomas Fletcher, Christopher Romero-Klevisha, Toan Do, Meah Chambers, Gagan Manjunatha, Connor Roberts, William Maynard, Logan Teyema, Ellie Kwon, Rico Rodriguez , Nick Kasa , Yousif Alani , with faculty advisors Cameron Nowzari , Xuesu Xiao , Ningshi Yao .
Looking ahead , interested students are invited to learn more about joining future competitions through the team’s website.
