We are the Cabrillo Robotics Club (CRC), a student-led organization based at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. Our club focuses on interdisciplinary engineering projects, providing members with hands-on experience in software, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Through these projects, our members gain technical knowledge that extends beyond what is covered in coursework. As a student-led group, the club's focus evolves with each new leadership team. Over time, we have developed vehicles capable of traveling on land, through the air, and underwater. In recent years, our interests have shifted towards underwater vehicles. After building remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), we are now pursuing a more ambitious challenge: developing an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
The SeaHawk II is our third-generation Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) our most advanced model to date. This project marked an ambitious leap to the MATE ROV Explorer Class—the highest tier of the competition, typically dominated by four-year universities. Competing at this level was a significant challenge and required our team to elevate the complexity and capabilities of the vehicle. Every system, from the mechanical structure, to the electrical stack, and software, had to be carefully designed to meet the rigorous demands of the competition. The success of SeaHawk II was the result of years of hard work, innovation, and iterative design. Over the previous two years, we developed and refined our ROVs, gaining invaluable experience. Each iteration brought new insights that shaped our engineering decisions, ultimately leading to the creation of the completely redesigned SeaHawk II. SeaHawk II incorporated the best elements from past designs while introducing new innovations that gave us a competitive edge. The effort paid off when SeaHawk II made its debut at the 2024 MATE ROV World Championship. Amongst 29 teams from 9 different countries, SeaHawk II secured first place in the highly competitive Explorer Class.