Marine Robotics Design
The MATE competition challenges K-12, community college, and university students from all over the world to design and build ROVs to tackle missions modeled after scenarios from the ocean workplace. The competition’s class structure of beginner, intermediate, and advanced complements the education pipeline by providing students with the opportunity to build upon their skills – and the application of those skills – as they engineer increasingly more complex ROVs for increasingly more complex mission tasks. Teams of students in grades 5 through college compete regionally or internationally depending on their level.
How do I get started? Check out Marine Tech for more information about this interesting robotics program.
How do I expand this narrative arc? Did you love building an ROV and are you interested in another marine-based robotics competition? Check out the Underwater Robotics Challenge.
Also consider one of the many national robotics competitions, each of which involves different rules, parameters and prizes. For example:
Build something socially useful in the Firefighting Robot Competition
HOT TIP: Teacher-supervised robotics competitions are an amazing way to develop close working relationships with adults. The MATE Competition will push the limits of your robotics game, but it can also help you develop a teacher-mentor who is well-placed to help you with class and college selection, and to write you an amazing college recommendation.