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Coming off its second-place finish in the 2022 RoboSub competition, Amador Valley High School’s robotics team, AVBotz, has returned this week to defend its high standing in the international event.
The team has been preparing the entire summer, working tirelessly each day to ensure their submarine runs smoothly, according to AVBotz members.
“The AVBotz team has dedicated a lot of time towards the preparation and testing of our submarine,” Meghana Kumar, mechanical subteam member, told the Weekly. “We have met almost every single day since the start of our summer break, and we’ve dedicated a lot of time over the school year as well.
“It takes dedication, hard work and effort to do this, and team members have to work together and be collaborative,” Kumar added. “We’re making new friends, establishing new connections and having fun spending time with each other. It’s an experience that is unforgettable and helps forge a stronger rapport amongst ourselves.”
RoboSub is a competition where participating schools work to face challenges in the underwater environment using their autonomous underwater vehicle. In the midst of the final stages of testing when contacted by the Weekly, AVBotz members have been fine-tuning its software using simulations and running constant tests in physical pools.
“We had tested our sub, Marlin, in places such as Amador’s pool, the nearby aquatic center, as well as multiple community pools,” Aarav Jain, software subteam member, said last week. “These pool tests help us test the various components on our submarine. This may include testing for water leakage within our components or aligning our submarine autonomously with homemade props.”
According to Craig Wang, vice president of software, the team has held meetings nearly every day from around 12-8 p.m. to work on their projects and collaborate through hands-on experiences. They’ve been working to find and fix any issues that may transpire during the competition by creating the necessary backup tools and components.
“Compared to well-funded university teams with access to highly advanced technical equipment, the only thing our team can do to compete is to pour in hours. And that’s what we did and continue to do,” said Eaton Huang, vice president of electrical. “Even though the process is long and grueling, every bit of success feels like ample reward for the hours we put in, which is why we continue to spend time and why we strive to improve every day.”
“A strong team dynamic is critical especially when we’re under pressure,” added Isabelle Lo, vice president of mechanical. “I think the fact that we’re spending so much of our year together working on something so detailed and technically challenging has strengthened that relationship and our understanding of one another.”
Like last year, time commitment and implementing new parts such as the grabber, torpedo and dropper will contribute to the output of this year’s success. Constant testing and learning from previous mistakes will enable the team to attempt more tasks with higher accuracy and gain more points during the competition, according to team members.
“Divisions have begun inventorying different tools and parts we need to take to the competition, as well as remachining extra backup parts,” Kaustubh Lole, mechanical subteam member, said regarding the planning progress. “On the mechanical side, our main goals until the competition are testing and tweaking components. For example, we are currently making small edits to our torpedo design in order to streamline it and make it consistent and effective.”
For AVBotz, building chemistry and relationships with one another is key to achieving the goal of doing their best in San Diego. Aside from collaborating on the submarine, many members learn to simply enjoy the company of each other and unite through their strong friendships.
“Our interest in robotics creates the chemistry that we have in the club,” said Ryan Yang, software subteam member. “With members of every grade level that contributes to the club equally as much as any other club member, we treat this club as a hobby and are always excited to get work done for our upcoming competition.
The competition has opened up opportunities for new AVBotz members exploring new heights in engineering. With anticipation building up for the final stretch, they said they’ve been appreciative of the support and electrical engineering skills they’ve received from polished veterans in the group.
“I’m super excited to participate in this year’s RoboSub competition,” Janav Rakesh, new business team member, told the Weekly. “However, at first, I was nervous to join such a talented group of people, but throughout the summer, I’ve connected with this team through the various challenges we’ve faced working together. This new opportunity has allowed me to develop many new skills, and I am more than excited to display the hard work we’ve all put in at the competition.
“I cannot thank this club enough, especially the officers, for how much hands-on experience I have gained through the consistent meetings,” added Gaurav Gupta, new electrical subteam member. “Though I have never worked with any of the people in the club prior to this year, I have been able to make new friends and become familiar with most of the people in the club.”
This year’s competition is ongoing now at NIWC Pacific’s TRANSDEC in San Diego, being contested from this Monday through Sunday (July 31 to Aug. 6). For more information about AVBotz, including how to donate to the team, visit avbotz.com.
