Underwater robotics

MATE ROV
World Championship

With project HYDRA, HydroVinci is designing a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) able to explore, inspect and intervene on submerged infrastructure, and taking it up against the world's best universities.

Organised by MATE
Class Pioneer
Finals June 2027
The competition

A world championship for ROVs

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How it works
Each team designs, builds and pilots an ROV to complete missions based on real-world ocean engineering problems.
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Pioneer class
The level just below the elite Explorer class. HydroVinci is the only French team entered.
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Finals in the United States
The international finals take place in June 2027, after the spring qualification phase.
Technology

A modular, intelligent ROV

Multi-axis robotic arm

Precise gripping and interchangeable end effectors.

Inertial navigation

Sensor fusion to stay positioned underwater.

Vision and onboard AI

Detection, recognition and 3D measurement.

Sonar and magnetometer

Low-visibility inspection and metal object detection.

Vertical profiler

Pressure and temperature readings, reliable ballast.

Roadmap

On the way to the finals

  1. Oct. 2026

    Technical architecture locked in

  2. Dec. 2026

    Registration, orders and first assemblies

  3. Mar.–Apr. 2027

    Working ROV and qualification

  4. June 2027

    International finals in the United States

The challenge

Facing the world's ROV elite

The field

  • Case Western Reserve UniversityUnited States
    2025 world champion
  • Memorial University – Marine InstituteCanada
    4-time world champion
  • HKUSTHong Kong
    6th in 2025
  • Politecnico di TorinoItaly
    8th in 2025

Our alliance

HydroVinci
First French team to qualify for the MATE ROV World Championship in 2024, with a robotic gripper and a profiler already developed.
Proteus Group
Europe's leading student technical defence federation: 100+ members, 8 projects and a network of experts.

The only French team facing the world's best universities.

Support project HYDRA

Associate your company with underwater robotics and a team competing at the world championship. Contact us to discover our partnership offers.

Write to us

Official competition website: materovcompetition.org