2024 May
MATE ROV
MATE ROV Competition is an international underwater robotics competition organized by MATE and the Marine Technology Society.
For the competition, teams need to build their own ROV and complete the mission tasks in their respective category, which are modelled after realistic scenarios of data collection for marine research.
In addition to building a functional ROV to complete competition tasks modelled after real-world scenarios, the MATE ROV Competition also fosters an entrepreneurial spirit in students as teams are also required to market and sell their products.
Leveraging on the multidisciplinary team that we have, Mecatron aims to represent Nanyang Technological University and Singapore at the 2024 MATE ROV World Championship in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. This marks the first time a team from Singapore will participate in the Explorer Class of this prestigious international competition. Our participation underscores the growing emphasis on interdisciplinary collaborations, which is a key focus in Singapore’s educational and technological advancement.
For more information about the MATE ROV competition, visit https://materovcompetition.org
Among 82 teams from 17 countries that qualified to compete in the 2024 MATE ROV World Championship, Mecatron was selected for a special award – the Guts and Glory award, presented to the “individual or team that overcame hardships with determination and resolve”.
This year’s award includes a USD 250 Amazon gift card, a trophy sponsored by Nancy Summers from Oceaneering, and a hardcover book. As it is not just our team’s first time at MATE ROV but also our team’s very first overseas competition in history, this is indeed a remarkable achievement. This success is a testament to our members’ resilience, determination and resourcefulness in overcoming unforeseen challenges.
The Journey Timeline
1: Ideation and Preparation
The journey began with intensive brainstorming sessions where our team explored various concepts and ideas. We focused on defining the problem our robot would solve and outlining the key features it would need.
3: Networking
Photo of Luc (Executive Lead) and Jennifer (Business Lead) with Jill Zande, MATE Executive Director at the Marine Technology Society.
4: Development and Testing
Our team began assembling the required courses and obstacles to qualify for the Explorer class in MATE ROV and also testing, modifying our ROV to ensure it could successfully navigate and complete the tasks.
5: News on Advancing to the World Championships
We managed to meet all the requirements and qualify for the MATE World Championships!
6: Our final iteration of Turtleboi before MATE ROV
In the upcoming MATE ROV COMPETITION World Championship in June 2024, Turtleboi’s speed, control and reliability will be put through an extreme test as he navigates through a plethora of tasks such as object picking, connection mating and scaled 3D reconstruction, all in a short time span of 15 minutes.