In sub-Saharan Africa, a team of enthusiastic 9th and 10th-grade students is gearing up for an exciting challenge—the MATE ROV Competition. Meet H2rObotics: a dedicated team driven by passion, curiosity, and the pursuit of excellence in underwater robotics. If you missed our initial feature of their journey be sure to check it out in part 1.
In early February of 2024, five members of the team, all current eleventh graders, left to focus on their school commitments, as they will be graduating next year, and this year is also very important for their studies. Unfortunately, among these members was one of the team’s CEOs, Artem Nikitin. This sudden loss initially caused some chaos and delays in their progress. The team quickly responded by electing Jannik Kollmitz as the new CEO. Fortunately, they also gained four new members: three from the 9th grade and one from the 10th grade. This brought the team to a total of 11 people, including their mentor, Mr. Prinz. The integration of the new members required some time for orientation and assigning tasks according to their skills.
Additionally, two of the three 3D printers available to them broke down, significantly slowing the printing process. These printers were also too small to print the rings that go around the ROV. Therefore, they had to outsource the printing to an external company and wait for the completion of these prints before they could continue.
Due to these complications and obstacles, the construction process of the robot was unfortunately delayed, leading to their inability to qualify for the MATE ROV Competition 2024. In early July, they finally received the necessary parts and were able to attach the thrusters to the external rings and fasten the rings to the waterproof housing. They also had the plate in the waterproof housing printed and completed an electric circuit. The ROV is now almost ready to be put into the water; they only need to install the cameras so that their robot has "eyes."
The setbacks at the beginning of the year demotivated them, but as things improved and they saw progress, they regained motivation. They are determined to do their best to qualify for the MATE ROV Competition 2025.
Despite the challenges that set them back, they remain motivated. The team thanks their sponsor for their continued support and hopes for successful participation next year.
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