To put it simply, we build robots! Ones that are made to drive underwater. In addition, as a student design team, we give our members experience working in teams to solve real-world design problems – skills that carry over to any profession. Joining a student design team is probably one of the most important things you can do as a student here at Missouri S&T (and it doesn’t even have to be ours). Solving real engineering problems, puzzles, and conundrums on design teams is a lot more tangible than any lecture can be. If you have done robotics (such as FIRST) before, you can think of our team as a kind of graduate school where you can continue to work in the world of robotics more independently. If you haven’t, you can come to learn and explore this diverse field. Our team welcomes students of all majors, from arts to mathematics to mechanical engineering. Is playing with circuits, wires, code, or power tools not your thing? That’s not a problem – there are other ways to be creative. In addition to engineers, we need people to manage the business side of our team, help promote awareness of the amazing world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in the local area, and look at the big picture. People who have never done anything robotics-related before are more than welcome to come to our meetings and see what role might be a good fit!
Other Perks:
- Access to the Student Design and Experiential Learning Center
- Experience with industry-standard design tools and software packages
- Leadership experience
- Team/Group work experience
- Access to 3D printers
- Hands-on working involvement with machines, tools, electronics, etc. that is highly sought after by companies!
Competitions:
The S&T Underwater Robotics Competition Team competes in the annual Marine Advanced Technology Education Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (MATE ROV) competition. Our team builds a robot from scratch that must navigate through an underwater course that simulates solving problems commonly found in port cities. This international competition hosts teams from K-12, Collegiate and Professional, and includes a presentation component that implores the team to act like a company presenting to a marketing board.
We are eagerly awaiting MATE to release their 2021 Competition Manual so we can being working on more specified parts!
Structure:
Our team is divided into four divisions:
- Mechanical Division– responsible for designing/building/maintaining the body, structure and physical mechanisms of the robot such as driving, buoyancy mechanisms, and waterproofing.
- Electrical Division– responsible for designing/building/maintaining the electrical systems of the robot such as circuits, batteries, and motors.
- Computing Division– responsible for designing/building/maintaining the robot’s control systems, the code that runs the robot, and specified tasks from MATE like AI and Image Recognition.
- Public Relations Team– responsible for public outreach and education, building relationships with sponsors, organizing team events, and maintaining the team’s website and social media.
Each division has their own Division Lead and may be further divided into sub-groups based on particular projects/interests.
People
Chief Financial Officer: Lavanya Bhargava
Technical Advisors: Dr. Kurt Kosbar and Dr. Jiangfan Zhang