Rutgers Autonomous · Rutgers School Of Engineering
Diversity of thought is one of our greatest strengths. We bring together students from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds, allowing us to collaborate on complex autonomous systems that no single field could produce alone. Every perspective on the team, from a software engineer writing flight logic to a supply chain student managing operations, contributes to what we build.
RU Autonomous is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliated with the Rutgers AIAA chapter and the Rutgers University School of Engineering. Our membership spans engineering, business, supply chain, and marketing - all working together to gain real-world experience and advance the frontier of autonomy.
Our platforms are engineered for fully autonomous flight, executing waypoint navigation, obstacle avoidance, object detection and localization, and precision aerial delivery under real competition conditions. Every system is designed, fabricated, and validated in-house by students across our subteams.
Rutgers Autonomous operates through six specialized subteams - Autopilot, Machine Learning, Hardware, Airdrop, FPV Drones, and Business & Operations - each owning a core component of the autonomous stack. This structure allows us to move fast, iterate often, and bring a competition-ready platform to the field every year.
Founded in 2008, RU Autonomous has built a consistent and competitive record on the national and international stage. After entering the AUVSI SUAS Competition for the first time in 2010, the team has grown steadily in both capability and placement, regularly finishing above programs at institutions like MIT and Caltech, entirely student-run and student-funded.
This year, we make our debut in the California Unmanned Aerial Systems Competition (C-UASC) in Mojave, California — a mission-based competition involving payload delivery and retrieval in a high-altitude, high-temperature environment, against 35+ teams from around the world. We compete with Everest, our custom-built heavy-lift multirotor platform.
SUAS 2019
SUAS 2022
SUAS 2023
SUAS 2025
Our Journey