SAUVC 2026 Participant Manual

1. Overview

Dates: May 28 – May 31, 2026

Host City: Sanya, China

SAUVC 2026 will be a 4-day event bringing together teams from across the globe to test their Autonomous Underwater Vehicles in a challenging pool arena.

2. Venues

Please note the multiple locations for this year's event in Sanya:

Layout for the Citizen Fitness Centre

Entrance to Citizen Fitness Centre

Entrance to the swimming pool

Main pool area where competition and qualification rounds will be held

Opening Ceremony and holding area (Level 2 Badminton Court)

Stairway leading to the opening ceremony and holding area

Entrance to the opening ceremony and holding area

Award Ceremony Venue

Gala Dinner Venue

3. Program Itinerary

Day 0: 28 May 2026 (Thursday) — Registration Day

Important Notes for Day 0:

• Registration Split: Upon arrival at the hall (Level 1), the Team Lead must stay at the registration desk to confirm member details and make payments for any additional lunch or gala dinner tickets. The rest of the team will be directed to Level 2 to locate their assigned desks and begin setting up their AUV stations.
• Indemnity Forms & Practice Slots: The Team Lead will receive an indemnity form at registration. Every team member must sign this form. Teams can only sign up for a baby pool practice slot with the Slot Masters after the fully completed and signed indemnity form has been returned to the volunteers.
• Briefings & Group Photo: The 2:00 p.m. slot will cover crucial Game and Safety Briefings. A group photo will be taken immediately after these briefings, so please ensure your entire team is present.

Day 1: 29 May 2026 (Friday) — Qualification Day

Qualification Day Rules & Workflow:

• 15-Minute Slots: Each qualification slot is strictly 15 minutes long. Two teams will run their qualification attempts simultaneously in designated zones during each time block.
• Punctuality: Teams must be on time for their slots. If a team is late, the lost time is deducted from their 15-minute window. If a team misses their slot entirely, no replacement slot will be provided.
• Swapping Slots: Teams may swap slots only if another team explicitly agrees to the swap. Any finalized changes must be communicated immediately to the Slot Master and the Judges.
• Baby Pool Practice: The baby pool is available for practice throughout the day. However, teams cannot enter the baby pool freely. You must locate a Slot Master and be assigned a specific practice time block before entering the water.
• Results & Next Steps: Teams will be informed immediately after their 15-minute slot whether they have qualified for the finals. Once qualified, teams can proceed to the Slot Master to book a practice slot for the finals in the baby pool.
• Day 2 Preparations: At the end of Day 1, all finalists will be officially notified and will be randomly assigned a designated practice slot in the main pool for Day 2 (Finals Day).

Please refer to Appendix A: Day 1 Qualification Slot Assignments at the end of this manual for the full schedule of team slots.

Day 2: 30 May 2026 (Saturday) — Finals Day

Finals Day Overview:

• Designated Practice (Main Pool): Finalists will be assigned specific practice slots in the main pool ahead of the competition. Teams will be informed of their assigned time at the conclusion of Day 1.
• Open Practice (Baby Pool): The baby pool is open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for practice. While it is an open period, teams must still coordinate with the Slot Master to secure their time in the water to avoid overcrowding.
• Non-Finalists: Even if your team is not competing in the finals, we strongly encourage you to come to the site! It's a great opportunity to watch the games, interact with the judges, and network with other teams.

Day 3: 31 May 2026 (Sunday) — Awards & Gala

Closing Events:

• Free Time / Workshops: The morning is currently slated as free time for teams to rest or explore Sanya. Should any optional technical workshops be confirmed, announcements will be made via Microsoft Teams.
• Award Ceremony: Join us for the official closing ceremony summarizing the challenge. We will be giving out the main competition awards, the Innovation Award, and recognizing team achievements across the board.
• Gala Dinner: Celebrate the conclusion of SAUVC 2026 with a spectacular dinner and networking event alongside your fellow competitors and the organizing committee. (Note: The Canteen closes promptly at 9:00 PM).

4. Technical & Safety Reminders

Before putting your AUV in the water, please ensure you meet the following SAUVC 2026 constraints:

5. Innovation Award

The IEEE OES Innovation Award evaluation was completed prior to the competition. We were incredibly impressed by the creative engineering solutions submitted by all teams.

Congratulations to the following teams for winning the SAUVC 2026 Innovation Award! As a reward for their outstanding designs, these teams have won sponsored participation to OCEANS Sanya:

You can find detailed information regarding these innovations on the official SAUVC website.

6. Logistics & Mandatory Forms

• Work Areas: Teams will be assigned tables near the pool deck for staging, soldering, and minor repairs.
• Transportation: Teams are responsible for their local transport between their accommodations and the Sanya Yazhou Sports Park.

Mandatory Forms:

1. Team Member Details Form: Teams MUST ensure that all team members' names are entered fully and correctly in this form. We will use this exact data to prepare the official participation and winner certificates.
2. Food Requirements Form: Teams must use the provided online link to indicate their dietary requirements and the initial estimate for additional meals. You will finalize this number and make your payment during the Team Registration window on Day 0.

7. Catering & Meals

• Provided Meals: Lunch will be provided on Day 1 and Day 2. The Gala Dinner will be provided on Day 3. (Note: No meals are provided on Day 0).
• Free Quota: Each participating team is entitled to 6 free portions (pax) for the lunches and 6 free portions (pax) for the Gala Dinner.

Purchasing Additional Meals: Any extra meals needed beyond the 6 free portions per team must be purchased (and paid for at registration) at the following rates:

Water: Please bring reusable water bottles — water refill stations will be available at the venues.

Important Timing: The Taste of Yazhou Bay Canteen closes promptly at 9:00 PM, so the Gala Dinner will conclude by this time.

Resturants around the competition venue：

There are 15 open canteens in Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City (click the link to view the canteen distribution map) for nearby dining. It is recommended to plan meal times in advance to avoid the peak hours of 11:30–13:00.

8. Essential Apps & Getting Around in China

We highly recommend setting up the following tools before your arrival:

Map of the area surrounding the competition venue：

9. Communication Channels

Primary Communication: Official event announcements, schedule updates, and Q&A will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Please ensure all team members have the app downloaded and are added to the official SAUVC 2026 Teams channel.

10. Key Roles & Emergency Contacts

If you have any questions or encounter issues during the event, please look for the designated committee members.

11. Sponsors

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to our sponsors and partners who made SAUVC 2026 possible.

Introduction to Harbin Engineering University South China Sea Research Institute

Harbin Engineering University originated from the PLA Military Engineering Institute (Harbin Military Engineering Institute) founded in 1953, with General Chen Geng as the first president. The university is one of the first institutions authorized to grant doctoral and master's degrees, a key university under the "211 Project", and a national "Double First-Class" construction university. It is now affiliated to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Adhering to the school-running strategy of "Three Seas and One Nuclear" (shipbuilding industry, naval equipment, marine development, nuclear energy application), the university has made important contributions to China's shipbuilding industry, nuclear industry, national defense modernization, and economic and social development, and has become a high-level research university in China's ship, ocean, and nuclear fields.

The construction of Hainan Free Trade Port is a major national strategy personally planned, deployed, and promoted by General Secretary Xi Jinping. The establishment of the South China Sea Research Institute is an important measure for the university to actively serve national strategies, national defense needs, and local economic and social development, and to implement the instructions of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. In accordance with the principles of "serving strategies, highlighting characteristics, opening up cooperation, and integrating development", the South China Sea Research Institute has in-depth cooperation with the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Harbin Electric Group, and other units, joining the national deep-sea team to jointly accelerate the solution of "bottleneck" problems in national defense and industries, seize the commanding heights of scientific and technological innovation in the deep-sea field, and make contributions to the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port and the national defense construction of the South China Sea.

Harbin Engineering University South China Sea Research Institute (Harbin Engineering University Sanya South China Sea Innovation and Development Base) is co-founded by Harbin Engineering University, Hainan Provincial Department of Education, Sanya Municipal Government, and China Merchants Hainan. It is an important unit approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and supported by the Ministry of Education for Hainan's deepening of education reform and opening up. It is an important part of Harbin Engineering University's efforts to build a world-class university with distinctive characteristics.

Adhering to the principle of "meeting the needs of the country (Hainan) with the university's strengths", the South China Sea Research Institute is committed to promoting the innovation and application of deep-sea equipment technology, building a high-level industry-education integration talent training base, a high-level industrial incubation and innovation platform, and an international exchange and cooperation base.

Hainan Yuchi Special New Energy Co., Ltd

Hainan Yuchi Special New Energy Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hainan Yuchi") is a wholly-owned subsidiary established in Hainan by Xi'an Yuchi. Founded in February 2023, the company is located in Phase II, Deep-sea Equipment Industrial Park, Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, Sanya. It is a high-tech enterprise key-supported by Hainan Provincial Deep-sea Technology Innovation Center.

The company has obtained full certification qualifications of the three management systems including ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System), as well as the national military standard certification of GJB 9001C (Military Quality Management System). It has built a comprehensive, standardized management and support system in line with domestic and international high-standard norms.

Boasting an experienced core team, the company possesses solid technical reserves and rich engineering practical experience in the field of deep-sea energy systems.

Business Scope

The company is engaged in the production, sales and after-sales service of power supply units for deep-sea equipment, storage batteries, deep-sea pressure-resistant high energy density battery packs, solar panels, UPS power supplies, battery cabins, power supply systems, UAV energy modules, multi-functional unmanned surface vehicle systems, floating and submerged buoy battery packs, and other related products.

It provides one-stop, full-lifecycle professional energy support services covering fault diagnosis, reliability assessment, operation and maintenance. The company also conducts non-standard environmental tests such as deep-sea pressure simulation and charge-discharge cycle testing, so as to verify the performance of battery systems under extreme working conditions.

Application Scenarios

Full-ocean-depth AUV/ROV, abyssal landers, long-term deep-sea observation platforms, etc.; Deep-sea submerged buoys, underwater gliders, submarine observation network nodes, long-term fixed monitoring and detection equipment; Various unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), autonomous operation robots and other underwater equipment.

Introduction to Hainan Aerial Science and Technology Co., Ltd

Hainan Aerial Science and Technology Co., Ltd. was established on May 31, 2020, in Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, a high-tech innovation hub of Hainan Free Trade Port. The company is a technology-driven enterprise integrating the R&D, production, and services of unmanned equipment. Leveraging its technological advantages in the cross-integration of "air-sea" domains and its geographic location at the gateway to the South China Sea, the company is committed to becoming a leading provider of low-altitude + marine products and services.

The company focuses on the niche area of tandem twin-rotor UAV technology and the marine application market for UAVs. It has formulated the first industry standard for UAVs in the marine sector, serving as a pioneer in the marine UAV niche and an innovator in the integrated development of "low-altitude + marine". In terms of scenario-based innovation, the company possesses a number of disruptive technologies, such as unmanned helicopter deployment and recovery of marine equipment, unmanned helicopter fish farm scouting, feeding, and express delivery, unmanned helicopter integrated marine survey and observation, and unmanned helicopter search, rescue, and transport of persons overboard.

The company has undertaken several major projects, including the Hainan Provincial Key R&D Program, Hainan Provincial Advanced Equipment First Set Demonstration, National Key R&D Program, National Major R&D Program, Hainan Provincial Marine Disaster Comprehensive Prevention and Control Construction Project, and the surface/air mobile carrier simulation system for a certain "proving ground" project. The company holds 20 invention patents and 15 software copyrights, has led or participated in the development of 17 standards, and has established a development strategy of "patents first, standards leading, brand shaping, and disruptive applications". It has won the second prize of the Chuangqingchun Hainan Competition and the Hainan Provincial Patent Excellence Award, among others. The company has grown into a technology-oriented SME, an innovative SME, a high-tech enterprise, and a provincial-level "Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative" enterprise, demonstrating first-class R&D capabilities and niche market development strengths.

Appendix A: Day 1 Qualification Slot Assignments

12. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)