For almost two years, a team of six Stevens undergraduates competed in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (PANYNJ) College Challenge: Vehicular Tunnel Catwalk Robotics. The Hoboken group’s robot is called L.I.N.C. — the Lincoln Investigation and Navigation Cadet. The team is composed of six members: 4/4 Dominic Souza, 4/4 Noah Golan, 4/4 Christian Osowski, 4/4 Adrien Susino (Mechanical Engineering), 4/4 Jared Surajballi (Computer Engineering) and 3/4 Mauricio Sanchez (Electrical Engineering). Teaching Associate Professor Anthony Shupenko, Jr., PE lent his knowledge of civil engineering as the team’s faculty advisor and mentor. The competition culminated in a tie between Stevens and New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) on August 28, 2026, per PIX11 News’ coverage of the event.
PANYNJ tasked students with designing an autonomous robot that could monitor the catwalks of the Lincoln Tunnel, as high volumes of traffic hinder safety regulations. The original challenge, held in late 2023, was geared toward New Jersey and New York technical high schools and gave students the choice to target either the Lincoln Tunnel or the Holland Tunnel in their robot design. It ended with Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro, NJ taking the prize in January 2024. The competition was then adapted for college teams, with Stevens and NYIT being the only two universities selected to produce functional prototypes.
The L.I.N.C. team spent several months on this challenge, working from the base of the engineering process up to machining and building a fully functional prototype. They were even able to test their robot, alongside NYIT, in a specially-closed tube of the Lincoln Tunnel overnight, adapting elements of the design to the real-world simulation. They were then invited to the Prototype Exhibition at the Port Authority’s NYC offices, showcasing their robot to government officials.
Team member Dominic Souza shared his role in the project and his insider view of the competition.
Which part or system of the robot did you personally work on the most?
“I was responsible for a variety of different functions during this project, including designing and machining some of the aluminum side panels, 3D printing the camera and sensor mounts, and assisting in the systems testing of the robot leading up to the pilot inside the Lincoln Tunnel. I would say that the building and testing phases were the longest parts of the project.”
What did you think to be the most vital part of the robot?
“I think the informational system of the robot is the most vital part of this project. L.I.N.C.’s ability to identify emergency situations was a crucial requirement for this challenge, so it was very important that all the cameras and sensors were capturing valuable information so that the onboard computer could interpret this data in a meaningful way to the operator.”
The hard part is over, but I’d like to look back for a second. What would you say was the most challenging part of the competition, or the scariest?
“I think the hardest part was the initial phase of the building process. As a team, we needed to figure out various details such as material procurement, work schedules, project timeline, and other logistical details that we had not previously had experience with. This entire project was a learning experience where we picked up a lot of new skills along the way, and because of that, I would say we learned a lot about the project management process at this phase that set us up to succeed at the end of the project.”
Finally, I have to ask. Did you feel prepared to undertake this challenge?
“I would say that I was confident that the team was going to deliver a working prototype. Everyone was incredibly motivated throughout the entire process so even though we encountered challenges, we were still able to adapt and work around those roadblocks.”
