The HKUST Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Team emerged as the champion in the Explorer Class of the Hong Kong Regional Contest of the MATE International ROV Competition 2024, marking their 12th straight win in this contest. The ROV Team, a sub-team of the HKUST Robotics Team, will represent Hong Kong in the MATE International ROV Competition 2024, which is set to take place in Kingsport, Tennessee in the United States from June 20 to 22, 2024.

Organized by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Hong Kong on April 27-28 at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi Campus), the Hong Kong Regional Contest attracted 11 teams from secondary schools (in Ranger and Rookie Class) and universities (in Explorer Class) from Hong Kong and Macau.

The 2024 HKUST ROV Team has 26 undergraduates (7 female and 19 male students) across various disciplines, mostly first and second year students. They are supervised by Prof. Tim WOO, Director of Center for Global & Community Engagement, School of Engineering.

In the competition, teams are tasked with constructing underwater vehicles to address simulated real-world problems. The theme changes annually, and this year, it is related to the coastal pioneer array, the SMART cable system, coral reefs, and ocean-monitoring floats. In addition to building the ROV, the teams are required to operate as if they are running a company. This involves promoting their ROV through presentations, marketing displays, technical reports, and safety documentation. The panel of judges comprises experts from diverse fields including science, business, exploration, government and industry.

On top of participating in the competition, the HKUST ROV Team also contributed to the community through collaborating with IET Hong Kong to construct props for the Rookie, Ranger, and Explorer Classes.

IET is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions, and IET Hong Kong is the largest local network outside the UK with 5,000 members in Hong Kong and Macau. The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) International ROV Competition has been organized by MATE Inspiration for Innovation (MATE II), a non-profit corporation based in California. The competition aims to inspire and challenge students to learn and creatively apply STEM skills to solving real-world problems in a way that strengthens their critical thinking, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

The team would like to express their heartfelt thanks to RS Components for sponsoring the electronic components and to Milwaukee for the equipment.

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(The HKUST ROV Team’s Business Department assisted in the preparation of this news.)