Robotics Team Wins 2nd At International Competition

The Long Beach City College Underwater Robotics team has placed second in an international underwater robotics competition featuring schools from 6 countries.  Some of the participating schools included MIT, Arizona State University, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Institute for Marine Technology Problems (Vladivostok Russia), University of California Santa Cruz, University of California San Diego and Washington State University.

The LBCC team placed second in the world only to Memorial University of St. John's NL that specializes in underwater systems.

“This competition provides students with a real world application that gives them a good look into what they will be getting into once they complete their studies,” said Scott Fraser, LBCC Electronics Department Head and Robotics Team Coach.  “The skills needed to compete in this competition are not just limited to underwater robotics.  These are the skills that all employers are looking for in their new hires; teamwork, problem solving, grace under pressure are just a few of what the team experienced.”

This is the fifth year the Long Beach City College Underwater Robotics team has participated in the International underwater robotics competition.  The competition was held at University of California Sand Diego / Scripps Institute.

The underwater robots used in competition range from small inspection class robots with cameras, to large work class robots.   The work class robots are used for both ocean exploration and heavy work for the oil industry.

"I think one of the most rewarding parts of going to the competition each year is meeting and talking to teams from all over the world and seeing how people approach the same problem they've all been given 9 months to think about,” said Ian Jasper, Team Captain and Electrical Technology student.  "Building a new robot each year starting from nothing but the ideas in our heads is one of the most fun and rewarding things I've done. It is amazing to take an entire year of work and then go and compete against others who have done the same."

LBCC places students each year in high-paying robotics jobs every year.