South Bay Area · 2026-2027 MATE ROV Season

THALOS ROBOTICS

A community-based underwater robotics team building ROVs, solving real-world environmental missions, and competing nationally. Open to all high schoolers in the South Bay Area.

Join the Team Learn More

Who We Are

Built from the ground up, by students.

Thalos Robotics is a brand new community-based underwater robotics team in the South Bay Area. We are completely independent: not affiliated with any single school, and open to all high schoolers in the region.

Our team is organized like a real engineering company, with subteams covering mechanical design, electrical systems, software, and technical documentation. Every member contributes meaningfully to both the build and the competition.

We are currently recruiting founding members for our inaugural 2026–2027 MATE ROV Competition season. This is your chance to be part of something from day one.

2026
Founded
4
Subteams
MATE
Competition
ROV
Vehicle Type

What We Do

Real missions.
Real engineering.

The MATE ROV Competition challenges teams to design and pilot underwater robots to complete real-world environmental missions. Each task requires genuine engineering: from gripper mechanisms to sensor integration to buoyancy-controlled floats.

01
Coral Collection
Navigate the ROV to the pool floor and retrieve specimen objects using a custom-built gripper arm.
02
Sensor Deployment
Carry and precisely place a simulated instrument package at an underwater target location.
03
Infrastructure Install
Simulate offshore energy infrastructure tasks using the ROV's manipulator systems.
04
MATE Floats
Deploy a buoyancy-controlled float that ascends and descends to specific depths autonomously or on command.

The Competition

MATE ROV
Competition

The MATE ROV Competition is one of the most prestigious student underwater robotics competitions in the world, with teams competing from over 17 countries. Our target is the Ranger class, designed for high school teams with robotics experience.

Scoring covers three areas equally: in-water mission performance, technical documentation and engineering presentation, and a full safety inspection. The best teams are both great engineers and great communicators.

Regional qualifiers take place in spring. Top regional finishers advance to the annual World Championship.

Learn About MATE ROV ↗

2026–2027 Timeline


Now - Summer 2026
Team Recruitment
Building our founding roster across all subteams
Fall 2026
Design & Build
Mission manual released, ROV design begins
Winter 2026–27
Pool Testing
Weekly water tests, documentation writing
Spring 2027
Regional Competition
Compete at the closest MATE regional event
June 2027
World Championship
For teams advancing from regionals

Get Involved

We're looking for people
who want to create.

No single background required. We need people across every discipline: from hands-on builders to programmers to writers. Prior robotics experience is preferred but a foundation in electronics or engineering is enough to get started.

⚙️
Mechanical
Frame design, gripper arm, buoyancy tuning, and float construction.
⚡
Electrical
Wiring, power systems, ESC setup, waterproof penetrators, and safety inspection.
💻
Software
ROV control systems, gamepad input, camera feed, and float depth logic.
📄
Documentation
Engineering notebook, technical report, presentation prep, and marketing display.
🎮
Pilot
ROV pilot and co-pilot: drives the vehicle and manages the tether during competition.
Fill Out Interest Form

Or email us at thalosrobotics@gmail.com

Contact

Let's build something.

Whether you're a student looking to join, a sponsor interested in supporting the team, or just curious about what we're doing; We'd love to hear from you.

Interest Form
✉ thalosrobotics@gmail.com 🌊 materovcompetition.org thalosrobotics