HKUST Remotely Operated Vehicle Team Clinched Their 14th Championship in Hong Kong Regional Contest of MATE International ROV Competition
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 2026, marking their 14th 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 2026, which is set to take place in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada from June 25 to 27, 2026.
Organized by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Hong Kong on April 25-26 at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi Campus), the Hong Kong Regional Contest attracted 25 teams from secondary schools (in Scout and Ranger Classes) and universities (in Explorer Class) from Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
The 2026 HKUST ROV Team has 30 undergraduates (12 female and 18 male students) across various disciplines, mostly first and second year students. They are supervised by Prof. Tim WOO, Director of the 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 studying cold-water corals and marine life, servicing subsea observatories, powering offshore infrastructure with renewable energy, 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.
In addition to competing, the HKUST ROV Team contributed to the community by collaborating with IET Hong Kong to create props for the Scout, Ranger, and Explorer Classes. Meanwhile, the HKUST Robotics Team and the STEAM Tutor Team from the School of Engineering also participated in the IET Hong Kong Fun Day on April 25, 2026. Their efforts promoted underwater robot design and STEAM knowledge to the general public, particularly targeting primary and secondary school students to spark their interest in engineering.
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 assisted in the preparation of this news.)
