Program

RoboSub 2026

RoboSub 2026

Ahoy explorers! Are you ready to dive into the world of underwater 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. 

Put your creation to the test and join us at the 29th annual RoboSub competition!

RoboSub 2026

  • Dates

    July 11-16, 2026

  • Location

    Woollett Aquatics Center

    Irvine, California, USA

  • Eligibility

    • High School, College

    • 75% or more full-time students

    • No minimum of team members

  • Registration

    Start Your Registration

    Registration Fee: $1,500

    Registration Closes: April 1, 2026

  • Cancellation Policy and Deadlines

    Submit a Cancellation Form

    April 12 | 50% Refund Deadline

  • Team Resources

    Review the Team Resources

Competition Timeline

December 01 – April 01 | Registration (Registration Portal)

March 12, 7:00pm EDT | TeamTime #1 (Register)

April 12 | 50% Refund Deadline (Cancellation Policy)

April 16, 7:00pm EST | TeamTime #2 (Register)

May 27 | Submission Deadline (Registration Portal)

June 11, 7:00pm EST | TeamTime #3 (Register)

June 24 | Pre-Qualification Deadline (Submission Form)

July 11-16 | RoboSub 2026

Resources

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Team Handbook

Team Handbook (View)

Published March 11, 2026

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TeamTime Recordings

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Schedules

Schedules will be published here soon!

Event Details

Traveling to the Competition

 

 

FIND YOUR WAY

  • Rome2Rio is a great resource to navigate local transportation.

Lodging at the Competition

 

EVENT HOTEL: HILTON IRVINE/ORANGE COUNTY AIRPORT

18800 MacArthur Blvd, Irvine, CA 92612

• Rate: $190.00+ tax / night

• Available Dates: July 9-17

• Booking Deadline: June 19, 2026 (or when room block is full)

• Reservations: Click here to start your reservation.

• Parking Fee: $22.00+ tax/ night

* Note: All RoboSub teams are permitted to utilize the hotel’s pool for overnight testing (July 11-15). Parking fee will apply each night.

 

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS

Many teams reserve a short-term rental in the area. Several cities in Orange County have implemented bans or strict regulations on Airbnb and other short-term rentals. RoboNation recommends that staying in a hotel is going to be a more reliable and secure option.

Recommended areas for your stay can be found here.

RoboSub 2026 - RoboSub

Meet the Teams

Bangladesh RoboSpace Consortium
Bangladesh RoboSpace Consortium
Project Poseidon's Code

Dhaka, Bangladesh

FacebookInstagram

 

Project Poseidon’s Code is a pioneering student-led underwater initiative in Bangladesh, operating under the Bangladesh RoboSpace Consortium. Supported by the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, United International University and Dhaka Residential Model College. We strive to cultivate a sustainable marine robotics ecosystem through the elegant synergy of innovation and collaboration. By bridging academic research with practical autonomous applications, we aim to advance the field of maritime technology and engineering excellence.

Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
TartanAUV

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

WebsiteInstagram

 

TartanAUV is a group of undergraduate students from Carnegie Mellon University. We develop our autonomous underwater vehicle to solve navigation, controls, perception, and manipulation tasks for the RoboSub competition.

Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Ithaca, New York, USA

WebsiteFacebookInstagram

 

CUAUV is entirely undergraduate-run, consisting of over 50 students spanning numerous academic disciplines. The team offers a holistic engineering experience developing cutting-edge technology; students control the entire design, manufacturing, testing and revision cycle.

As a seven-time RoboSub champion, CUAUV embodies a tradition of excellence and continuously pushes the envelope of autonomous underwater vehicle technology.

Duke University
Duke University
Duke Robotics Club

Durham, North Carolina, USA

WebsiteInstagram

The Duke Robotics Club (DRC) is a student-led team at Duke University dedicated to designing and building autonomous underwater vehicles. Reestablished after the pandemic, DRC has rapidly grown into a competitive and collaborative group. The team emphasizes technical innovation, interdisciplinary learning, and hands-on engineering experience while preparing the next generation of students to push the boundaries of underwater robotics.

École de technologie supérieure
École de technologie supérieure
SONIA

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

WebsiteFacebookInstagram

 

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 27 years. S.O.N.I.A was founded in 1999 and its members have designed a total of 9 autonomous submarines since. The club is made up of students from engineering programs in mechanics, electrical, automated production and software.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Autonomous Maritime Robotics Association
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Autonomous Maritime Robotics Association
Team Unsinkable

Daytona Beach, Florida, USA

 Instagram

 

We are an organization completely run by undergraduate students from a variety of majors. We welcome anyone and everyone no matter the skill level to join and grow with us, to create the engineers of the future. The team that represents Embry-Riddle during Robonation’s RoboSub annual competition. AMRA has competed for Embry-Riddle for the past five years, and Have created two submarine iterations for this competition.

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

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

WebsiteInstagram

 

We’re a passionate team of undergraduate students who love building robots, and testing them in the water. Over the years, we’ve grown into India’s leading collegiate underwater robotics team, earning multiple accolades at various competitions.  This year, we’re excited to be back at Irvine, where we’re aiming to deliver a strong performance. Alongside, we’re also proud to unveil Mini Matsya, our latest compact vehicle, built to support Matsya 7, our flagship vehicle.

Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul Technical University
ITU AUV TEAM

Istanbul, Sarıyer, Turkiyë

WebsiteInstagram

 

ITU AUV Team is an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle team established in 2018 within Istanbul Technical University.The ITU AUV Team, which has achieved great success in competitions it has participated in Turkey and abroad, has set its main goal as representing our country and our university in the best way possible in various AUV competitions to be held in Singapore, Italy and the United States.

Konya Technical University
Konya Technical University
RACLAB

Selçuklu, Konya, Turkiyë

Instagram

 

RACLAB Team is an interdisciplinary team that develops ROV and fully autonomous (AUV) underwater systems end-to-end with original hardware and software. Offering high autonomy by using its own control algorithms instead of ready-made boards, the team has proven its success with a first-place win at TEKNOFEST and the “Best Team Spirit” award. Aiming to take this expertise to the international arena, RACLAB aims to lead the way in future unmanned marine technologies with its domestic solutions.

McGill University
McGill University
McGill Robotics

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

WebsiteInstagram

 

McGill Robotics Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) team, is made up of a dedicated team of engineering students collaborating to bring Douglas to life, our AUV representing McGill at this year’s RoboSub competition. Spanning three different subdivisions of Mechanical, Electrical, and Software, over 70 students work together to develop and design Douglas. Their commitment and excellence truly showcase the best of McGill University’s student talent.

Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University
MM Nautronics

Ankara, Çankaya, Turkiyë

WebsiteInstagram

 

Founded at Middle East Technical University (METU), MM Nautronics is a multidisciplinary student team designing innovative Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Driven by a passion for marine robotics, we seamlessly integrate mechanical, electrical, and software engineering. Proving our capabilities globally, we secured 7th place in the Technical Report and 10th in Website Design among 58 international teams at the 2025 RoboSub competition. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of underwater autonomy worldwide.

National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
Bumblebee Autonomous Systems

Singapore, Singapore

WebsiteInstagram

 

We are a group of innovators who envision building autonomous systems of the future. As a multidisciplinary team of undergraduates, we design and build autonomous maritime vehicles capable of navigating underwater and on the water surface, performing complex tasks autonomously. We design intelligent systems robust to changing environmental conditions, achieving full autonomy with an advanced sensor suite and an array of powerful actuators.

Olympic College
Olympic College
Olympic College Engineering Club

Bremerton, Washington, USA

 

The Olympic College Engineering Club (OCEC) is a student-led, hands-on engineering team focused on real-world problem solving through collaborative design and build projects. OCEC brings together Olympic College students with Washington State University Bremerton engineering students, creating a small but scrappy, cross-institutional team. Our RoboSub program emphasizes systems integration, documentation, and learning by doing, because good engineering is built, tested, broken, and improved.

San Diego State University
San Diego State University
SDSU Mechatronics

San Diego, California, USA

WebsiteInstagram

 

SDSU Mechatronics is a student-run team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of autonomous maritime robotics. Since 2011, we have competed in RoboSub by designing and building AUVs from the ground up. Our team operates without external professional aid, giving students total ownership over the engineering lifecycle. We are a multidisciplinary collective from San Diego State University focused on solving the unique challenges of underwater autonomy.

 

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Rocker Robotics

Rapid City, South Dakota, USA

Facebook | Instagram

 

We build robots! Every year we choose some competition and design, build, and program a robot to compete. In the past, we have participated in the IGVC, NRC, and ASME competitions. The competitions generally take place during the spring semester and the design process begins during the preceding fall semester. Our robots are generally built from scratch and include aspects of mechanical design, electrical engineering, and programming.

Stanford University
Stanford University
Stanford AUV

Stanford, California, USA

WebsiteXInstagram

 

Stanford AUV is a third-year, student-led team founded in Spring 2024 that blends competition-driven design with real-world ocean research applications. The team provides hands-on experience in robotics, controls, and marine systems to students of all experience levels, opportunities rarely found in the classroom. By combining rigorous engineering with field-relevant problem solving, Stanford AUV equips members with practical skills in mechanical design, electronics, autonomy, and leadership while advancing innovative underwater technology for research and exploration.

Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
WIRED AUV

College Station, Texas, USA

Website | Instagram

 

WIRED AUV is part of the Women In Robotics, Engineering, and Development (WIRED) student organization at Texas A&M University. Established in 2015, our purpose is to build an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for the annual RoboSub Competition. WIRED AUV is a learning team that focuses on recruiting underrepresented freshmen and sophomores and cultivating a supportive environment to gain hands-on experience.

The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University
Ohio State Underwater Robotics Team

Columbus, Ohio, USA

WebsiteInstagram

 

The Underwater Robotics Team at Ohio State is an interdisciplinary student project team that specializes in the design, construction, and operation of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Our mission is to provide members the opportunity to apply hands-on engineering and business principles and to serve the community through a STEM education outreach program.

Troy High School NJROTC
Troy High School NJROTC
TROY SPEAR

Fullerton, California, USA

Website

 

SPEAR is a high school team from Troy High School in Fullerton, CA. SPEAR is unique because all members must also be enrolled in the Naval JROTC (NJROTC) program. Our program was initiated in 2019 and this will be our fourth year competing in person.

Université de Sherbrooke
Université de Sherbrooke
Nautilus

Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

WebsiteFacebookInstagram

 

We are a multidisciplinary team of eight robotics and mechanical engineering students from the University of Sherbrooke, united under the name NAUTILUS.

Dynamic and ambitious, we are driven to push the boundaries of technological innovation in a practical and competitive setting, aiming to showcase our university’s student talent and expertise.

University of Alberta
University of Alberta
Autonomous Robotic Vehicle Project

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

WebsiteInstagram

 

Founded in 1996 at the University of Alberta, the Autonomous Robotic Vehicle Project develops robotics technologies and students. We currently focus on Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for the annual RoboSub competition. Students from all faculties, especially engineering and computing science, solidify coursework concepts through hands-on projects. Members gain expertise in specific areas of robotics through vehicle design while engaging in community outreach to promote robotics and demonstrate practical applications.

University of British Columbia Okanagan
University of British Columbia Okanagan
UBC Okanagan Marine Robotics

Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

WebsiteInstagram

 

UBC Okanagan Marine Robotics (UBC OKMR) is a student-led engineering team at UBC Okanagan focused on designing and developing advanced Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for competition and real-world marine applications. Our AUV division leads systems engineering, perception, controls, and underwater robotics research while fostering hands-on learning. Beyond competition, we run STEM outreach, high-school mentorship, and community engagement programs to inspire future engineers and expand access to marine robotics education.

University of California Berkeley
University of California Berkeley
Underwater Robotics at Berkeley

Berkeley, California, USA

WebsiteInstagram

 

Underwater Robotics at Berkeley is a collegiate robotics team at UC Berkeley in Berkeley, California that designs, builds and programs autonomous and teleoperated underwater vehicles to compete in the RoboSub competition. Since its founding in 2016, the team has introduced its members to industry-level design, simulation, and software tools through the lens of competitive robotics.

University of Haifa
University of Haifa
Ariel

Haifa, Haifa District, Israel

Website

 

A passionate group of seven graduate students from Autonomous Navigation and Sensor Fusion Lab (ANSFL) at the Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel. Currently, we are in the process of designing and building our lab’s newest Autonomous Underwater Vehicle ( AUV).

University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
iRobotics

Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA

WebsiteInstagram

 

The iRobotics RoboSub team at the University of Illinois is a student-led organization dedicated to building an autonomous submarine for this summer’s RoboSub competition. Our multidisciplinary team provides members hands-on experience solving real-world challenges in marine robotics and exploration.

University of Michigan
University of Michigan
Michigan Robotic Submarine

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

WebsiteX

 

Michigan Robotic Submarine is a student-led engineering team comprised of primarily undergraduate students with diverse backgrounds and interests, working together to design and build an autonomous robotic submarine for the annual RoboSub competition in Irvine, CA. We strive to advance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) technology by engineering a submarine that can perform various sub-nautical tasks, like sonar navigation and
torpedo target shooting.

University of Southern California
University of Southern California
Robosub SC

Los Angeles, California, USA

Website

 

USC Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Design Team is a student-run group that designs and builds AUVs for the Robosub competition. We provide hands-on robotics and engineering experience in a supportive, collaborative environment, helping students develop skills for future careers while working toward a common goal of creating a functional submarine

University of Victoria
University of Victoria
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Interdisciplinary Club

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

WebsiteInstagram

 

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Interdisciplinary Club (AUVIC) is a student run robotics team based out of the University of Victoria in BC, Canada. We design, construct, and program fully autonomous underwater vehicles to compete at Robonation’s annual Robosub competition. We pride ourselves in our community outreach and volunteer work in the realm of ocean science and engineering.

Washington State University
Washington State University
Palouse RoboSub

Pullman, Washington, USA

Website

 

Palouse RoboSub is a student-run undergraduate robotics team from Washington State University. We are proud to return to competition for the first time since 2018 with our brand new AUV: Guppy!

Entirely student-run and open to all, Palouse RoboSub provides students with hands-on engineering and project management experience in a collaborative learning environment.