The IGVC (Auto-Nav Challenge) competition requires student teams to design, fabricate, and program an autonomous unmanned ground robotic vehicle. The robot must negotiate around an outdoor obstacle course under a prescribed time while maintaining a minimum speed of one mph over a section and a maximum speed of five mph. The robot must also avoid obstacles on the course and follow the lane marked on the course.

The competition typically takes place each year on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. The competition rules change each year and feature several different challenges. This year the Auto-Nav challenge is set on a 450-foot asphalt pavement course with variable track widths ranging from 10 to 20 feet and a minimum turning radius of 5 feet. The course is defined by continuous or dashed white lines and features ramps with a maximum incline of 15%. Randomly placed obstacles on the course include construction drums, natural and man-made objects, and simulated potholes (2 feet diameter white circles). Teams have to use different sensors such as LiDAR, camera, and GPS to navigate around the course while avoiding the obstacles. The competition judges participants based on the time of course completion, with penalties incurred for hitting obstacles, and distance covered in case of incomplete runs.