Students from New York Institute of Technology’s (NYIT) College of Engineering and Computing Sciences, including several from Queens, were named finalists in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (PANYNJ) College Challenge: Vehicular Tunnel Catwalk Robotics, held in January.
The competition challenged university teams to develop robotic solutions to improve safety and efficiency within the Lincoln Tunnel’s catwalk infrastructure.
The Lincoln Tunnel, a key transportation route connecting New York and New Jersey, has long-standing safety challenges that require continuous monitoring by the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) and Tunnel and Bridge Agents (TBAs). The tunnel’s catwalks, once used for emergency response and maintenance, currently sit unused. The competition called on students to design autonomous robotic systems that could be deployed in these spaces to assist law enforcement and bridge agents in responding to emergencies, detecting obstructions, and maintaining tunnel infrastructure.
Two teams from NYIT, which included Queens-based students, competed in the challenge and were selected as finalists. Their robotic designs featured advanced emergency detection, two-way communication capabilities, and pedestrian and obstruction recognition.
NYIT’s two teams were mentored by Dr. Michael Nizich, director of the Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC), and Saverio Marsicano, senior lab engineer. Nizich’s team developed the Tunnel Emergency Response and Reconnaissance Automation (TERRA), a robotic system designed to autonomously navigate the tunnel catwalks and provide real-time emergency response data. Marsicano’s team created the Autonomous Response and Emergency Sentinel (A.R.E.S.), which focused on detecting and categorizing emergencies within the tunnel.
The PANYNJ College Challenge is an annual competition designed to encourage technological innovation among university students while addressing real-world infrastructure challenges. The selection of NYIT’s teams as finalists underscores the institution’s role in engineering excellence and its students’ contributions to developing forward-thinking solutions for public safety.
Team A.R.E.S., which included Evelyn Zhinin Tacuri of Woodhaven, Ivy Manglicmot of Elmhurst, and Yuri Kent Calumpit of Laurelton, was selected as a finalist for its innovative robotic machine design and will advance to the final competition in May. Other team members included Saverio Marsicano, Gunn Aggarwal, Ray Khan, and Anthony Vazquez Rivas.
Team TERRA, which also competed in the challenge, featured Hein Htet Zaw of Oakland Gardens alongside Michael Nizich, Umair Tahir of New Hyde Park, Emily Prieto, Maha Bukhari, and Abdul Raafay Irfanl.
The PANYNJ College Challenge tasked students with developing autonomous robotic solutions to improve safety and monitoring within the Lincoln Tunnel’s catwalk infrastructure. The A.R.E.S. robotic machine was designed to conduct routine surveillance of the Lincoln Tunnel at speeds of 20 mph, with an emergency mode that accelerates to 40 mph if it detects gas leaks, smoke, or persistent honking. The machine is also equipped with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), infrared sensors, and cameras to help navigate obstacles, locate individuals, and facilitate two-way communication between Port Authority staff and commuters in distress. Additionally, A.R.E.S. includes medical and emergency response tools for assisting in vehicle and medical emergencies.
With Team A.R.E.S. advancing to the finals, NYIT students from Queens and beyond continue to demonstrate their engineering expertise and innovative problem-solving skills in transportation safety and infrastructure challenges.
