Future Software supports the MBZIRC Maritime Grand Challenge
Helping Shape the Future of Autonomous Robotics
About the project
When some of the world's brightest robotics researchers set out to solve one of the toughest autonomous navigation challenges ever created, they needed confidence that their systems could perform when satellite navigation was no longer an option.
As part of the prestigious Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) Maritime Grand Challenge, organised by ASPIRE in Abu Dhabi, Future Software was invited to provide independent technical expertise to support the competition. Rather than traditional consultancy, our role was to apply our software engineering expertise to review and validate critical aspects of the competition's technical submissions, helping ensure competitor systems could operate effectively in a GNSS-denied environment.
Case Study Breakdown:
01
The Challenge
The MBZIRC Maritime Grand Challenge is one of the world's most demanding autonomous robotics competitions, bringing together leading universities, research institutions and innovators from across the globe.
Teams were tasked with developing fleets of autonomous aerial and surface vehicles capable of performing complex inspection and intervention tasks in open water—all without access to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as GPS. Instead, systems had to rely entirely on advanced localisation, computer vision, sensor fusion and autonomous decision-making to navigate safely and accurately.
02
The Requirement
Operating without GNSS fundamentally changes how autonomous systems behave.
To support the challenge, ASPIRE approached Future Software for specialist software engineering expertise to help review technical approaches submitted by competitors, ensuring proposed solutions addressed the demanding requirements of reliable GNSS-denied operation.
This required careful assessment of navigation strategies, system resilience and software architecture, helping verify that proposed solutions aligned with the technical objectives of one of the most advanced autonomous robotics competitions ever staged.
03
Our Contribution
Future Software worked alongside the challenge organisers by providing technical expertise throughout the submission review process.
Our team helped assess competitor approaches for:
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GNSS-denied autonomous operation
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Navigation resilience and localisation strategies
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Software architecture and system robustness
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Technical validation against competition requirements
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Overall readiness for real-world autonomous deployment
By applying decades of experience in high-performance software engineering, Future Software helped ensure participating teams were building solutions capable of operating in one of the most demanding environments imaginable.
04
The Outcome
The competition culminated in the live demonstrations held in Abu Dhabi, where finalist teams successfully showcased advanced autonomous maritime systems capable of operating in challenging real-world conditions.
Following the event, ASPIRE publicly recognised Future Software for its contribution to the competition, acknowledging the company's role in "ensuring GNSS denied operation of the competitor systems."
The challenge demonstrated not only the rapid advancement of autonomous robotics, but also the importance of robust software engineering in enabling reliable operation where traditional positioning technologies are unavailable.
