The Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC) Robotics Team, runners-up in last year’s world championship in California, will compete on the global stage once again this year. The team is competing in the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) Championships in Longmont, Colorado June 22-24, 2023.
The MATE ROV Championships serve as a platform for teams from across the world to display their skills at constructing and controlling underwater robots.
The competition tasks include putting the team’s engineering and problem-solving abilities to the test. Each team operates as a unit, resembling a company structure and is scored based on a product demonstration, engineering presentation, marketing display, technical documentation, and various outreach initiatives. The team at SWCC has been working on a specialized project known as the Go BGC float, which adds an extra dimension to their overall score.
The Southwest Virginia Community College Robotics Team’s goal is to develop a capable robot that can execute the specific tasks required by the competition.
Comprised primarily of students majoring in engineering, electrical electronics, and mechatronics, the SWCC Robotics Team also welcomes individuals from various academic backgrounds to join.
Joe Godsey, the team’s faculty sponsor, says the experience at the event is good for the students to learn and collaborate. “They get to meet teams from all around the world, and everybody at the event is sharing their ideas to make their programs better,” said Godsey.
Thank you statement from the team:
“The robotics team would like to acknowledge and send out a thank you to the following for their support and contributions. Without their support, this opportunity would not be possible:
Southwest Virginia Community College,
MATE II (Marine Advanced Technology Education),
Town of Lebanon Virginia – Allowed us to practice at their pool,
Town of Richlands, Virginia – Allowed us to practice at their pool.”