This year, over 70 teams from 18 countries came to present and demonstrate their underwater ROVs. With Alpena being the host for this year’s international competition, students were tasked with activities regularly completed in the Great Lakes.

“They are all working on the same mission and that mission is Great Lakes and ocean science,” said Daniel Moffatt, Stewardship and Education Specialist for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. “They are looking at maritime history, identification of certain shipwrecks, aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes and energy and solar.”

These simulations require ROVs to pick up items and maneuver around the marine technology training tank outside the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. Teams are timed on three phases: Setting up their ROV, completing their mission and packing their machine up.

Teams must also present details of their ROV through posters and create a sales pitch on their machine to the judges. Moffatt said this competition allows students to network with professionals and get real-world experience.

News Photo by Blace Carpenter Chinese team EPOXSEA works on their ROV Inkay during the 2025 MATE ROV Competition World Championship on Thursday at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center.

“It truly is a tangible way to see what a career might look like in marine technology in the ocean and the Great Lakes,” he said. “These students have critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills … these are all transferable when they go beyond the university and choose to move on into their careers.”

Dulce Bucio and her team, TecXotic, came from Tecnológico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico to present their ROV, Penta.

“We have high expectations for our first product demo of the day,” Bucio said. “This year is the 10th anniversary of our team, TecXotic, so this is the result of all of our efforts, all of the mistakes, all of the experiences that have been accumulated.”

Penta is a pink and blue ROV that has eight thrusters, allowing it to maneuver underwater, as well as a claw that is able to move 360 degrees and mimics “human-like motion.” TecXotic created a ground control unit that houses a computer and a joystick that controls Penta.

Benedikt Salecker and his team U.Stall traveled to Alpena from Esslingen University of Applied Sciences in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany. He said that he and his team are excited to be part of this year’s competition.

News Photo by Blace Carpenter Mexican team TecXotic poses for a picture with their ROV, Penta, during the 2025 MATE ROV Competition World Championship on Thursday at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center.

“I think it’s a great competition and we’re trying to get the art of German engineering to the USA and the MATE competition,” Salecker said.

Just like every competition, teams are trying their best to win, but Salecker said it’s also a great chance to connect teams and learn from them.

“Maybe we can inspire some other teams with our engineering,” he said. “We are hoping to get inspired by the other teams from their engineering and their ideas.”

Bucio said the community around the competition has been wonderful. Penta’s controller was having some trouble, and another team helped them out.

“All of the people have treated us excellently,” Bucio said. “We just had trouble with a controller that we needed, and we didn’t have a reserve. We almost cried because we couldn’t fix it, but another team lent us that controller. This community of supporting each other and being inclusive and respectful to all the other teams is very special.”

News Photo by Blace Carpenter Alpena High School Underwater Research Robotics (UR2) team members maneuver their ROV during the mission phase of their product demonstration during the 2025 MATE ROV Competition World Championship on Thursday at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center.

The MATE ROV Competition is continuing today and awards will be presented from 5:45 to 7:15 p.m. during their ceremony at the Alpena Community College Park Arena. Holly Kriendler, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Oceaneering International, will be giving remarks during the ceremony.

To find the schedule of events, go to www.materovcompetition.org/world-championship.

Blace Carpenter can be reached at bcarpenter@thealpenanews.com. This story was produced by the Michigan News Group Internship Program, a collaboration between WCMU Public Media and local newspapers in central and northern Michigan. The program’s mission is to train the next generation of journalists and combat the rise of rural news deserts.

News Photo by Blace Carpenter WhaleTech Member Ian Osterloh solders wiring inside of his team’s ROV, Whale V, during the 2025 MATE ROV Competition World Championship on Thursday at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. The Georgia-based team is one of 79 teams that are competing in the competition.

News Photo by Blace Carpenter Teams test their ROVs’ buoyancy in a small pool before the product demonstration event during the 2025 MATE ROV Competition World Championship on Thursday at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center.

News Photo by Blace Carpenter Texas-based team Aquabot Technicians poses for their picture during the 2025 MATE ROV Competition World Championship on Thursday at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. The team all wore cowboy hats to represent the Lone Star State.

News Photo by Blace Carpenter Spectators look at underwater footage of the product demonstration event during the 2025 MATE ROV Competition World Championship on Thursday at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center.

News Photo by Blace Carpenter German team U.Stall pose for a picture with their ROV, Louis, during the 2025 MATE ROV Competition World Championship on Thursday at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center.