MECATRON

Mission

To design and test rugged, safe and intelligent vehicles by fostering innovative interdisciplinary collaborations

Vision

Leveraging marine robotics to enhance and streamline data collection methods for environmental research

United by a profound enthusiasm for underwater robotics, the Mecatron team emerged in 2023 from the collaborative efforts of students at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Leveraging expertise in 3D design, mechatronics, robotics programming, and marine biology, the interdisciplinary team crafted their first autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in just six months, with which third prize was won at the recent Singapore AUV Challenge held in April 2024. 

Team photo of Mecatron with their ROV at the NTU SRC Aquatic Centre. Image Credit: NTU CCO 2024

Mecatron is currently preparing to represent Singapore at the Explorer Class of the MATE ROV World Championship, taking up the challenge to transform their award-winning AUV into a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) in under a month. In the Explorer Class, Mecatron is one of the 27 teams that has advanced to the World Championship, which will be held on 20^th to 22^nd June 2024 in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. Each year, teams compete with their own ROVs, applying science and technology to complete competition tasks modelled after real-world applications. 

Screencapture from Mecatron’s Explorer Class Video Demonstration filmed at the NTU SRC Aquatic Centre, which enabled Mecatron to advance to the 2024 MATE ROV World Championship. Image Credit: NTU Mecatron 2024

Mecatron’s active participation in AUV/ROV competitions facilitates iterative improvements of their vehicle's capabilities; each step brings them closer to their goal of semi/fully autonomous underwater sample collection. The young, multidisciplinary team hopes to develop AUVs/ROVs for underwater sample collection to streamline and enhance the data collection process for marine research, potentially combating marine debris or studying corals and rocks unique to Southeast Asia waters.

In addition, Mecatron prioritzes knowledge-sharing, organizing outreach workshops to introduce younger students to Marine Science & Technology, as well as technical workshops for upskilling of NTU students to support their venture into robotics. 

Mecatron conducted our Introduction to Marine Science & Technology workshop in May 2024, for Primary 3 – Primary 6 students from Big Heart Student Care @ West View Primary School. Image Credit: Big Heart Student Care @ West View

Mecatron is extremely grateful for the support of the College of Engineering (NTU) and the James Dyson Foundation throughout our marine robotics journey. Mecatron is housed in the Dyson-NTU Studio, where we utilize the lab equipment for vehicle development and the lab space for regular team meetings.

For more information about Mecatron, please visit the team’s website (mecatron.sg). To get in touch with Mecatron, please contact the team via email ([email protected]), Instagram (@ntu_mecatron) or LinkedIn (Mecatron company).