The RoboSUB Competition
What is 3ft x 3ft x 6 ft?
This type of sensor is used for collecting acoustic data underwater.
What is a hydrophone?
In the late 1980s, treasurer hunter Tommy Thompson used a custom ROV by this name to bring up treasurer from the SS Central America, a sunken ship transporting gold from the gold rush in 1857.
What is Nemo?
This institution, located less than two hours from WPI is home to some of the most well known underwater research vehicles such as AUV Sentry and HOV Alvin.
What is Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution?
The hadal zone (6,000 - 11,000m deep) is the deepest area of the ocean and home to this benthic fish.
What is the snailfish?
In the 2025 RoboSub competition year, these three design documentation deliverables were submitted before the competition.
What are the technical design report, the team website, and the team introduction video?
To reduce the corrosion on underwater vehicle frames engineers adhere these to the metal.
What are Zinc sacrificial anodes?
Just this year, scientists at Beihang University in China developed a small untethered robot and successfully deployed it to the bottom of this well known oceanic feature.
What is the Mariana Trench (10,600 meters deep)?
Organizations such as NOAA and the UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean mapping work with these autonomous machines used for sonar mapping from the top of the water.
What are autonomous surface vessels (ASVs)?
In July 1964, the US Navy deployed its first underwater saturation diving habitat off of Bermuda by this name.
What is Sealab 1?
In order to pass safety inspection, teams must demonstrate these four characteristics of their robot.
What are shrouded propellers, identification/operation of kill switch, all components secured to vehicle, and safe areas for divers to grab the vehicle.
This elastic component is placed in grooves between surfaces to create watertight seals.
What is an O-ring?
Within the AUV family, these contraptions use buoyancy control to move through the water column collecting data for thousands of miles in a "sawtooth pattern" before needing a battery charge.
What are gliders?
Founded in 2014, this company--now a common name in the world of underwater robotics--was founded when a surfer wanted to send a solar powered surfboard from LA to Hawaii.
What is Blue Robotics?
The bathyscaphe Trieste dove to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in 1960 with U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss scientist Jacques Piccard aboard. While the passengers were protected by a metal sphere. A 50 ft long x 12 ft diameter hull filled with this was used to control their buoyancy.
What is gasoline?
According to the 2025 RoboSUB Handbook, if your team's AUV weighed between 84 lbs and 125 lbs, this would be the effect on your score.
What is an additional 2*(84 - your robot's weight in lbs) points.
When something neither sinks to the bottom or floats to the top of the water it is said to have this.
What is neutral buoyancy?
In 2022, this hybrid AUV located and created a 3d scan of famous explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship, The Endurance.
What is the SAAB Sabertooth?
This company, a sponsor for the RoboSUB competition, provides subsea technology for applications ranging from defense and infrastructure, to oceanography and offshore energy.
What is Teledyne Marine?
What is Triton Submersibles' the Limiting Factor?
In the 2025 RoboSUB competition, during the task called "Collecting Data (Gate)" the AUV passes through a PVC pipe Gate that has two images with these animals.
What are a Reef Shark and a Sawfish?
When a propeller is enclosed in a cylindrical duct which can be used to increase efficiency and propeller safety.
What is a shrouded propeller?
This ROV, under the leadership of Bob Ballard helped locate the wreck of the RMS Titanic in 1985.
What is the Argo ROV?
University students have the opportunity to work alongside marine technicians a ships' crew with underwater vehicles as a part of this program's fleet.
What is UNOLS? (University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System)
As of June 21, 2025 this percent of the world's ocean floor has been mapped to modern standards, according to the Seabed 2030 Project.
What is 27.3?