Mexican students’ submarine is the third best in the world

After seven years of participating in the international MATE ROV competition, they managed to get into the top three for the underwater robotics tournament.

By Rosibel Nava | Cuernavaca Campus - 08/24/2021 Photo Courtesy: TECXOTIC, MATE

TecXotic, a team made up of 26 students from the Tec Cuernavaca campus, achieved “3rd Place Overall” in the 2021 MATE ROV Competition underwater robotics world championship.

The competition challenged teams from around the world to design and build an underwater robot capable of solving ecological problems, such as water pollution, garbage in the ocean, or the impact of global warming on coral reefs.

From August 4 to 7, 2021, the School of Engineering students competed at East Tennessee State University in the United States.

The Tec team won the “No guts, no glory” awards for overcoming adversity throughout the competition; and the “Engineering Presentation Champion,” for making the best engineering presentation.

“It’s the effort of many students and mentors who have been perfecting our submarines over five appearances. Today, in the sixth participation, we’re number three in the world,” says David García, team coach and engineering professor.

The underwater competition

Each year, Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) organizes an international competition to encourage young people around the world to prepare for scientific and technical careers by developing underwater robotic vehicles.

In this competition, the teams must meet various underwater challenges against the clock, focusing on the role that these robots play in the ecological care of rivers and lakes, as well as taking care of the seabed.

This year, 58 out of 300 participating teams from 14 countries reached the world championships in the United States. TecXotic was the only Latin American team to participate.

The name of the team’s Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV) is Kolob. It was designed with a host of sensors, motors for movement, underwater cameras, and a robotic arm with the ability to manipulate objects.

“There were problems throughout the competition: about 60% of the ROV’s parts are 3D-printed, and they were damaged in transit.

“The ‘No guts, no glory’ award is for providing an intelligent and engineering solution to problems,” says student and CEO of the team Aarón Pérez.

Team adds awards to its list

The recognitions obtained this year have been added to the TecXotic team’s list of awards that they’ve collected over the years:

3rd Place Overall (2021)
No guts, no glory (2021)
Engineering Presentation Champion (2021)
Safety Conscious (2019)
Most Valuable Person (2017)
Judge’s Choice Award (2015)

“Having won third place in the entire competition and knowing that it hadn’t happened before in the history of the team made me value my work and that of the whole team much more,” shares Aarón Pérez.

The team is made up of engineering students from the Cuernavaca campus since the first semester. Graduates also participate.

Initially, they worked online, from different cities and states. In the last month, they managed to meet up by following all the safety measures required due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Over the last five appearances, we’ve perfected our submarines. Today, in the sixth participation, we’re number three in the world.” - David García, team coach