EXPLORER

Grade level

  • Participation in the EXPLORER class is open to students in community and technical colleges and four-year universities. 
  • High school students (and students of comparable grade levels) participating in the MATE ROV competition for the first time are NOT eligible to compete in the EXPLORER class. 
  • High school students (and students of comparable grade levels) who have previously competed in the EXPLORER class will be considered provided that they:
    • Placed within the top 50% at last year’s international event
    • Can demonstrate that at least 50% of the students on last year’s team are participating on the team this year
  • High school students (and students of comparable grade levels) who have previously competed in the RANGER class will be considered provided that they:
    • Placed within the top three at last year’s international event
    • Can demonstrate that at least 50% of the students on last year’s team are participating on the team this year
       

      NOTE - IMPORTANT:  High school teams interested in competing in the EXPLORER class must contact the MATE Center by December 31, 2018.  Teams must be prepared to demonstrate that they meet the conditions described above.  Decisions will be made and teams notified by January 15, 2019. High school teams who have competed previously in the EXPLORER class must also contact the MATE Center by December 31, 2018 to confirm continued compliance with eligibility rules.

  • High school students may participate as members of a college/university EXPLORER team provided that they:

    • Are enrolled in classes at a college or university
    • Do not make up more than 25% of the team

NOTE: Teams of mixed college/university and high school students interested in entering the EXPLORER class must contact the MATE Center by December 31, 2018.  Teams must be prepared to demonstrate that they meet the conditions described above.  Decisions will be made and teams notified by January 15, 2019.

  • Elementary and middle school students are NOT eligible to compete in the EXPLORER class.

Number of teams

  • Two teams per school are permitted provided that they come from different departments and/or campuses and that there are no common mentors or students (i.e., faculty can only mentor one team and students can only participate on one team). 
  • Schools with two (or more) teams that do not meet these criteria are encouraged to hold an in-school run-off to determine which team will represent their school at the competition. 
  • High schools are not permitted to enter more than one team per school even if they do meet the above criteria. 

EXPLORER CLASS DEMONSTRATION

All EXPLORER class companies are required to submit a video that:

  • Demonstrates the ability of their vehicle to perform specific tasks;
  • Shows compliance with MATE’s design and build specifications.

See the 2019 EXPLORER competition manual for more information about this demonstration requirement.