WPI SailBot Team Captures Record-Breaking Fifth International Championship

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Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s (WPI) SailBot team captured first place at the 18th Annual International Robotic Sailing Regatta, hosted June 7–12 by Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. The victory marks WPI’s fifth championship in the competition, making it the winningest program in regatta history.

The annual regatta challenges teams to design autonomous sailboats capable of completing navigation, racing, and search-and-rescue tasks with minimal human intervention. WPI dominated the competition with first-place finishes in five of seven events, plus a second- and third-place finish.

This year’s SailBot team included recent graduates Arshia Balaji (mechanical engineering/robotics engineering), Benjamin Laster (robotics engineering), Bolong Li (robotics engineering), Brianna Meisser (robotics engineering), Henry Pharris (robotics engineering), and Steven Vovcsko (mechanical engineering/robotics engineering). The crew delivered a standout performance after redesigning several key subsystems, including the control application, trim-tab mechanism, vision system, mast damper, rudder, and keel. The team also streamlined operations and enhanced documentation to support future SailBot researchers and competitors.

“This accomplishment reflects the strength of our collaboration, where each team member contributed their part and supported one another throughout the process,” said Laster.

“This year’s results reflect an exceptional level of engineering and systems integration,” said Ken Stafford, emeritus teaching professor of robotics engineering, who advised the team alongside William Michalson, professor of robotics engineering. “The team demonstrated that success in autonomous sailing depends on far more than speed. Their ability to perceive, reason, and adapt in a dynamic environment set them apart from the field.”

The team demonstrated that success in autonomous sailing depends on far more than speed. Their ability to perceive, reason, and adapt in a dynamic environment set them apart from the field.

Ken Stafford, WPI

The SailBot program is a long-running Major Qualifying Project (MQP) at WPI focused on the design, development, and operation of a fully autonomous sailboat. Each year, students build upon the work of previous teams while advancing research in robotic sailing and autonomous navigation.

Since its founding in 2006, the SailBot competition has attracted teams from universities, colleges, and high schools across North America, Europe, and South America. The regatta serves as a proving ground for autonomous maritime technologies while providing students with hands-on experience solving real-world engineering challenges in highly variable environments.

For WPI, the championship title illustrates the university’s distinctive approach to immersive project-based learning, where students apply classroom knowledge to complex, multidisciplinary problems.