Program

RoboSub 2023

RoboSub 2023

Ahoy explorers! Are you ready to dive into the world of underwater vehicle autonomy? Let us introduce you to RoboSub. 

RoboSub is an international competition that invites participants to tackle simplified versions of challenges facing the underwater maritime industry. These challenges may include oceanographic exploration and mapping, detection and manipulation of objects, and pipeline identification and tracking.   

Assemble your crew and chart a course on this systems engineering adventure where you will have the opportunity to design, build and test an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). Once you have worked past the lead times for underwater parts, come join us at the RoboSub competition and see how your unique system compares to systems designed by competitors from around the world. 

RoboSub 2023

  • Dates

    July 31, 2023 - August 6, 2023

  • Location

    NIWC Pacific's TRANSDEC

    San Diego, California, USA

  • Eligibility

    High School, College

  • Results
x

RoboSub 2023 | Event Info

Who, what, when, where, and how of RoboSub 2023 | Check out our event page for more

Competition Timeline

Resources

x

Results Overview

x

Team Handbook

x

Event Schedules

x

Parking Info & Shuttle Bus Schedule

x

Task Ideas

x

TeamTime Recordings

shipping-icon

Shipping Guidelines

Download the Shipping Guidelines

 

Teams may ship their equipment to our conference hotels (Holiday Inn Bayside or The Dana on Mission Bay) as long as they will be able to pick the shipment up by Monday, July 31. Please review the shipping guidelines when developing your shipping plan.

 

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Cheri Koch at ckoch@robonation.org.

x

Sub Glyphs

Meet the Teams

Advancing Science Technology and Art
Advancing Science Technology and Art
Team Inspiration Robotics

3rd Place Design Documentation

Mentorship Special Award

 


 

San Diego, California, USA

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design Report | Team Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 1

 

We are a 12th-year robotics team from San Diego, California, with students ranging from 8th grade to college seniors. We currently participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge, RoboSub, RobotX, and Donkey Car robotics programs. Our goal is to be able to learn the most we can about robotics and to spread all that knowledge to others, as seen through our team motto: To learn, to share, to innovate, to inspire!

Amador Valley High School
Amador Valley High School
Amador Valley High School Robotics Club

5th Place Overall (Autonomy Challenge + Design Documentation)

 


 

Pleasanton, California, USA

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design ReportTeam Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 2

 

AVBotz is a student-run robotics team of Amador Valley High School students in Pleasanton, California, a suburb on the East Bay of Silicon Valley. The Amador Valley HS Robotics Club (AVBotz) was founded in 1999 as a means for students at Amador Valley to explore and apply technologies related to the field of robotics. Since then, our members have perpetuated a legacy of learn-by-doing problem-solving and independent learning, designing our own AUVs from scratch.

BRAC University
BRAC University
BRACU Duburi

2nd Place Overall (Autonomy Challenge + Design Documentation)

Ingenuity Special Award

 


 

Dhaka, Bangladesh

WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagram

Technical Design Report | Team Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 31

 

Our team BRACU Duburi has been the pioneer of underwater robotics research in Bangladesh and since has been developing and paving the way for underwater research in Bangladesh. Our goal at team Duburi is to utilize the advances made in autonomous underwater navigation and machine learning powered data collection and analysis to sustainably develop solutions for water pollution reduction, unnamed search-and-rescue missions and autonomous monitoring and research in areas of the oceans in which manned-missions are quite impossible.
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles
RoboSubLA

Los Angeles, California, USA

Website | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design Report

Team Introduction Video

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 3

 

Dive in with RoboSubLA! We are a multidisciplinary team of Cal State LA students with a shared passion for robotics, RoboSub, and just building cool things! From freshmen to grad students, we’re proud to support such a strong roster of club and senior design members every competition year. Come chat with us, we’ll have stickers to exchange!

Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
TartanAUV

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Website | Instagram

Technical Design ReportTeam Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 18

 

Founded in 2019, TartanAUV is an interdisciplinary team of students at Carnegie Mellon University working to design, construct, program, and test autonomous submarines for the annual RoboSub competition. TartanAUV’s mission is simple; we build a team of effective engineers, leaders, and problem-solvers, a strong reputation for excellence, and an (even more notable) AUV. Our team is filled with passionate and dedicated students who are excited about designing robotic systems for oceanography, exploration, and research.

Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Coopetition Special Award

 


 

Ithaca, New York, USA

Website | Instagram

Technical Design Report

Team Introduction Video

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 19

 

CUAUV is a project team at Cornell University that has been competing in RoboSub for many years. CUAUV consists of students spanning numerous academic disciplines and is made up of four subteams: electrical, software, mechanical, and business. The team offers a holistic engineering experience developing cutting-edge technology; students control the entire design, manufacturing, testing and revision cycle.

Duke University
Duke University
Duke Robotics Club

Durham, North Carolina, USA

Website | Instagram

Technical Design Report | Team Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 20

 

The Duke Robotics Club is a student-run organization in Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering. Our mission is to provide Duke undergraduate and graduate students a place to pursue their interest in robotics by working on high-impact, large-scale robotics projects and competitions, primarily in the realm of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). These projects allow our talented students to hone their skills and demonstrate the strength of Duke Engineering.

École de technologie supérieur
École de technologie supérieur
S.O.N.I.A.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Technical Design ReportTeam Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 21

 

S.O.N.I.A (Système d’Opération Nautique Intelligent et Autonome) is a scientific club from École de Technologie Supérieure in Montreal, QC, which has been designing and manufacturing autonomous submarines for 24 years. S.O.N.I.A was founded in 1999 and its members have designed a total of 8 autonomous submarines since. The club is made up of students from programs in mechanics, electrical, automated production and software. Currently, S.O.N.I.A has supported two prototypes (AUV7 and AUV8). Moreover, S.O.N.I.A is an undergraduate student association and as such, we believe in harmonious team work and that knowledge is best acquired through hands-on experience. Our goal is to offer an educational environment for everyone whose desire is to learn and we strongly believe in the advancement of robotics.

Helix Charter High School
Helix Charter High School
Scottie Subs

La Mesa, California, USA

Website | Instagram

Technical Design ReportTeam Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 5

 

As the first underwater robotics team in the history of our school, our aim is to provide opportunities in engineering for underrepresented students and those who cannot always afford the necessary supplies to pursue their passion in engineering. Since our school has a majority Hispanic population we have a deep connection with teamwork and cooperation. We understand the value and importance of hard work and commitment, which is why we are competing in Robosub. Robosub is a challenging and unique competition which all our team members find interesting. We all are thrilled with an opportunity that can push us to learn new knowledge and new opportunities. Overall, Scottie Subs is a first year team who is ready to put in the hard work, have effective cooperation, and compete in Robosub this year!

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
AUV-IITB

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design Report | Team Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 35

 

AUV-IITB comprises 50+ highly enthusiastic and hard-working technocrats on underwater robotics ranging from freshmen to driven senior undergraduates and experienced post-graduates spanning various branches of engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. We work on Matsya, a series of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), to deliver a research platform in underwater robotics and promote autonomous systems.

McGill University
McGill University
McGill Robotics

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design Report | Team Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

Attachment to Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 23

 

McGill Robotics is an engineering design team with a mission to inspire students to create innovative and sustainable robots. The team prides itself on fostering an interest in robotics through competition, community engagement, and comradery. McGill Robotics builds an AUV, an autonomous drone (UAV), and a Mars Rover in addition to organizing RoboHacks, McGill’s premier mechatronics hackathon.
National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
Bumblebee Autonomous Systems

1st Place Overall (Autonomy Challenge + Design Documentation)

2nd Place Design Documentation

1st Place System Assessment

1st Place Website

 


 

Singapore, Singapore

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Technical Design Report

Team Introduction Video

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 37

 

We are a group of innovators who envision to build autonomous systems of the future. We build and design autonomous maritime vehicles that capable of navigating underwater and on the water surface and perform a series of tasks without any remote control assistance. The system is targeted to be designed as highly intelligent and robust to changing environmental conditions. Full autonomy is achieved with an advanced sensor suite and array of powerful actuators.

San Diego State University
San Diego State University
SDSU Mechatronics

San Diego, California, USA

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design Report

Team Introduction Video

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 8

 

Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary team comprised of undergraduate business and mechanical, electrical, and software engineering students from San Diego State University.
Our goal is to give hands-on experience to passionate students through challenging robotics projects like autonomous submarines (RoboSub) and autonomous land vehicles.

Si Se Puede Foundation
Si Se Puede Foundation
Desert WAVE

4th Place Overall (Autonomy Challenge + Design Documentation)

 


 

Chandler, Arizona, USA

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design Report | Team Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

Attachment Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 13

 

Our mission is to provide a supportive and engaging environment where female engineering students can come together to grow and accomplish amazing things. We prepare our members with interpersonal, professional, and real-world technical skills necessary to excel in their studies and careers.

We hope to serve as an inspiration for the community and as role models for the next WAVE of engineers.

Team Simplexity
Team Simplexity
Team Simplexity
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
WE AUV

College Station, Texas, USA

Website | Instagram

Technical Design Report

Team Introduction Video

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 14

 

WE AUV is a student-led project team at Texas A&M University, supported by the TAMU Women in Engineering program. Established in 2015, our purpose is to build an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for the annual RoboSub Competition. WE AUV is a learning team that focuses on recruiting underrepresented freshmen and sophomores and cultivating a supportive environment to gain hand-on experience.

The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University
Underwater Robotics Team

3rd Place Design Documentation

 


 

Columbus, Ohio, USA

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design Report | Team Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

Attachment to Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 26

 

The Underwater Robotics Team is an interdisciplinary student project team that specializes in the design, construction, and operation of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Students from a variety of majors are responsible for every aspect of building the vehicles including machining parts, soldering circuit boards, developing software, and managing business relationships. These vehicles are designed for the purpose of competing in the international AUVSI RoboSub competition held annually.

Troy High School NJROTC
Troy High School NJROTC
Troy High SPEAR

Fullerton, California, USA

Website | Twitter

Technical Design Report

Team Introduction Video

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 10

 

Troy SPEAR is a passionate team dedicated to empowering high school students with the exploration underwater robotics and autonomy. Through their program, students gain hands-on experience in designing, building, and operating robots in aquatic environments, in the mean time building a sense of camaraderie. Their mission is to inspire and build interest, in the robotics and STEM in general.

Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
ASUQTR

Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design Report

Team Introduction Video

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 27

 

We are an association of students from the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières which works to the development of an autonomous submarine. Club members are in electrical, mechanical and industrial engineering. This association has for mission to develop the capacities of each of its members to the maximum by deepening their skills in several areas such as image recognition, servoing, mechanical design, embedded programming, communication between systems and many others.
University of Alberta
University of Alberta
Autonomous Robotic Vehicle Project (ARVP)

3rd Place Overall (Autonomy Challenge + Design Documentation)

1st Place TIE Design Documentation

1st Place Team Video

Data Sharing Special Award

 


 

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Website | Instagram

Technical Design Report | Team Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

Attachment to Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 15

 

Founded in 1996 at the University of Alberta, ARVP has built a total of 11 autonomous underwater vehicles. ARVP currently focuses on the annual RoboSub Competition.
University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
UBC Subbots

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Website | Instagram

Technical Design Report | Team Introduction Video

(Team Introduction Video submitted late on 07/14/2023)

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 34

 

UBC Subbots is an engineering student design team dedicated to making an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for the RoboSub competition each year. This competition challenges us to make a robot that can navigate and interact with underwater obstacles without any human intervention whatsoever. The team was founded in 2017 and is made up of engineering and computer science students from multiple disciplines who have full control over the design, manufacturing and testing of the robot.
University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
Triton Robosub

San Diego, California, USA

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design Report

Team Introduction Video

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 11

 

The Triton Robosub team at UC San Diego is a group of driven and innovative students who are passionate about robotics and engineering. Our student-run organization focuses on designing, building, and testing autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to compete in the annual RoboSub competition. With a commitment to collaboration and hands-on learning, the team works tirelessly to create innovative solutions for real-world challenges.

University of Florida
University of Florida
SubjuGator

Gainesville, Florida, USA

Website | Twitter | Instagram

Technical Design Report

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 28

 

SubjuGator is an autonomous underwater vehicle project designed/built by Machine Intelligence Laboratory (MIL) students at the University of Florida (UF). The University of Florida has participated in every RoboSub competition since its incarnation in 1998. The SubjuGator team is comprised of undergraduate and graduate students of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and the Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering.
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
Robotics At Maryland

College Park, Maryland, USA

Website | Instagram

Technical Design Report | Team Introduction Video

Optional Community & Outreach Submission

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 33

 

Robotics @ Maryland is the student-run robotics team at the University of Maryland, College Park. Open to any University of Maryland student, Robotics @ Maryland competes in the Robosub Competition.

University of Michigan
University of Michigan
Michigan Robotic Submarine

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Technical Design Report

Team Introduction Video

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 16

 

Michigan Robotic Submarine is a student-led engineering team comprised of primarily undergraduate students with diverse backgrounds and interests from the University of Michigan, working together to design and build an autonomous robotic submarine for the annual RoboSub competition.
University of Southern California
University of Southern California
AUV at USC
University of Victoria
University of Victoria
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Interdisciplinary Club (AUVIC)

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Website | Instagram

Technical Design Report

Team Introduction Video

 

Team Photos - RoboSub23 - 24

 

AUVIC is a robotics club associated with the University of Victoria. We design, manufacture, and program fully autonomous underwater vehicles to compete at Robonation’s annual RoboSub competition. As an undergraduate engineering club, we take pride in our ability to create innovative solutions to problems faced with autonomous robotics. In addition to our main goal, we do volunteer work with the community of Victoria with regards to ocean science and engineering.

Judge Opportunities

Technical Design Report (TDR) Judge (ONLINE)
Technical Design Report (TDR) Judge (ONLINE)
Time Commitment: 30 hours

Overview: Judges evaluate a 6-page technical report that describes the team’s vehicle design, as well as strategies for their approach to the tasks. The TDR should also include rationale for design choices.

 

Eligibility:

 • 18+ years old; and

 • Not currently a member or advisor of a competing team.

 

Preferred Experience:  Knowledge and experience reviewing proposals or program reports for performance or funding approval or continuation. Understanding of general engineering design principles, maritime robotics and/or autonomy. 

 

Travel: Not Required

 

Time Commitment:

 • 45-60 min / report

 • 4.5 weeks to review

 • Total time: 30 hours

(1hr training + score evaluation + 1hr reconciliation mtg)

 

Key Dates

 • June 21 @ 1800 ET | Judges Training

 • June 21 – July 23 | Evaluation Period

 • July 26 @ 1800 ET | Judges Reconciliation

 

Resources

Coming Soon!

Team Introduction Video Judge (ONLINE)
Team Introduction Video Judge (ONLINE)
Time Commitment: 14-16 hours

Overview: Judges evaluate an 3-minute video introducing their team and highlighting team personality. This video is a creative showcase of what makes each team unique, such as, the mission of the team or the team culture.

 

Eligibility:

 • 18+ years old; and

 • Not currently a member or advisor of a competing team.

 

Preferred Experience: Knowledge and experience with maritime technology, particularly autonomous systems and/or vehicles.

 

Travel: Not Required

 

Time Commitment:

 • 45-60 min / video

 • Total time: 14-16 hours

(1hr training + score evaluation + 1hr reconciliation mtg)

    •  

Key Dates

 • June 21 @ 1800 ET | Judges Training

 • June 21 – July 23 | Evaluation Period

 • July 26 @ 1800 ET | Judges Reconciliation

 

Resources

Coming Soon!

Design Presentation Judge (IN-PERSON)
Design Presentation Judge (IN-PERSON)
Time Commitment: August 1-3

Overview: Judges evaluate a 15-minute presentation where teams present their competition strategy and how that plan impacted their design and selections. Judges attend all presentations and engage with relevant technical discussion and questions. Judges participate in scoring discussions to determine scoring and awards.

 

Eligibility:

 • 18+ years old; 

 • Knowledge and experience with maritime technology, particularly autonomous systems and/or vehicles; and

 • Not currently a member or advisor of a competing team.

 

Travel: Required

 

Time Commitment:

 • August 1 | Judges Training

 • August 1-3 | Presentations 

  •  

Resources

Coming Soon!

System Assessment Judge (IN-PERSON)
System Assessment Judge (IN-PERSON)
Time Commitment: August 1-3

Overview: Judges assess each teams’ system during a 15-minute time period, following their presentation. Judges are provided with a scoresheet to complete during assessment and are expected to engage with relevant technical discussion and questions. Judges participate in scoring discussions to determine scoring and awards.

 

Eligibility:

 • 18+ years old; 

 • Knowledge and experience with maritime technology, particularly autonomous systems and/or vehicles; and

 • Not currently a member or advisor of a competing team.

 

Travel: Required

 

Time Commitment:

 • August 1 | Judges Training

 • August 1-3 | Assessments 

  •  

Resources

Coming Soon!

Autonomy Challenge Course Judge (IN-PERSON)
Autonomy Challenge Course Judge (IN-PERSON)
Time Commitment: August 3-6

Overview: Judges are assigned an Autonomy Challenge course to document observations of team’s attempt at autonomous completion of tasks. Judges are expected to be outdoors judging alongside the water from platforms. Judges are in direct sunlight for most of the time, and are provided a hat and sun protective tools. Judges participate in scoring discussions to determine scoring, finalists, and awards.

 

Eligibility:

 • 18+ years old; 

 • Knowledge and experience with maritime technology, particularly autonomous systems and/or vehicles; and

 • Not currently a member or advisor of a competing team.

 

Travel: Required

 

Time Commitment:

 • August 3 | Judges Training

 • August 4-5 | Semi-Finals 

 • August 6 | Finals

  •  

Resources

Coming Soon!