Michael, a student from the Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, told me that competing in this competition has improved his coding skills and his ability to fix things. Michael’s teammate, Phantom, told me that she is interested in a career in art. She said that her work in robotics has helped improve her creativity. A few students, like Nithilan, HMS’s Gripper Pilot, told me that they want to become aerospace engineers.
Many students at the competition followed the Endurance22 Expedition virtual exchange, especially the sub-sea team’s amazing work using ROVs to locate the Endurance wreck under such extreme conditions in the Weddell Sea. Students told me that they loved hearing directly from marine robotic professionals like AUV Supervisor Chad Bonin and Sub-Sea Manager Nico Vincent, both of whom gave them ideas and inspiration for their own ROV projects.
I had such a good time watching all of the MATE II ROV New England Regionals teams compete and talking to the students about their ROVs. I was amazed by their knowledge, teamwork, and yes–endurance… they are truly the next generation of oceanographers, engineers, explorers and great minds at work. Check out a short video of the competition here. If you are interested in participating in a robotics competition, visit the competition website here.
