The various teams under the Robotics Team scooped nine awards in 2017. Accolades included the world championship of the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) International Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) competition in Long Beach, California. The University’s Beluga team beat 24 competitors from regions across Europe, US, Canada, Asia, and the Middle East to win the championship and the Safety Conscious Award. The HKUST students were the first Asian team to achieve the honor since the contest started in 2002.

Earlier, in June 2017, the Fiery Dragon team won the Hong Kong Robocon Competition for the eighth time.