Waves, winds, currents, wakes from passing boats and eddies swirling around structures make water one of the most complex environments for experienced boat captains, let alone robots. Now, researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology are developing algorithms that teach robots to adapt to the constantly changing dynamics of the sea in order to address one of our nation’s greatest concerns: protecting and preserving our aging water-rooted infrastructure, such as piers, pipelines, bridges and dams.