HKUST Robotics Team Named Champion in Hong Kong Regional of MATE International ROV Competition for Eighth Consecutive Year

The HKUST Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Team defended their championship status in the 13th Hong Kong Regional of the MATE International ROV Competition. The ROV Team, a sub-team of the HKUST Robotics Team, has been named champion in this competition for the eighth consecutive year. They will represent Hong Kong to take part in the MATE International ROV Competition 2018 in Federal Way, Washington, US on June 21-23.

Organized by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Hong Kong on April 21-22 at Tseung Kwan O Swimming Pool, the Hong Kong regional competition attracted 29 teams from secondary schools (in Ranger Class) and universities (in Explorer Class) from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Mainland China. The HKUST ROV team consists of 16 engineering undergraduates from various disciplines and six different parts of the world, who are mostly from Year 1 to Year 2.

In the competition, teams had to build underwater robots to tackle simulated missions in the industry, such as image recognition, installation of turbine base to designated area, and inflating air bag to retrieve debris. They also had to prepare materials to promote their ROV, including posters, presentations, technical reports, and safety documentation. Performance was evaluated by judges from both engineering and business perspectives.

Besides the competition, the HKUST ROV Team has been keen on giving back to the community. They hosted the IET Hong Kong Experience Class for Primary 5 to Form 2 students who have no experience in ROV to build a ROV from scratch and run in water. More than 15 teams joined the class which was held on April 21 at the competition venue.

IET Hong Kong is the second largest overseas branch of the IET, UK’s largest professional engineering institution. The MATE International ROV Competition has been organized by the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Centre (located in California, US), in association with the Marine Technology Society’s ROV Committee, since 2002 to engage students in STEM and expose them to science and technology careers. The international competition in June will be joined by winning teams in 30 regional contests across the US and around the world.

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This news was prepared with the help of ROV sub-team member Kin Ip Mong (Computer Engineering Program, Year 2 undergraduate).