A group of high school students from Seattle is preparing to compete in the MATE ROV World Championships taking place in St. John’s, Newfoundland, next month, representing their third consecutive appearance at this prestigious international competition.
The seven-member Triton Robotics squad consists entirely of 11th-grade students from Seattle Academy who operate as an independent team. The championship, scheduled for June 25-27, presents participants with mission scenarios based on authentic oceanic scientific challenges.
Competition tasks for 2026 draw inspiration from two United Nations scientific programs dedicated to ocean sustainability and cryospheric studies. Participating teams must tackle assignments such as charting cold-water coral environments, installing ocean observatory equipment, creating models of offshore wind turbines, and managing profiling floats in the challenging environment beneath sea ice, where traditional monitoring devices struggle to function.
Triton Robotics has engineered two distinct systems for the
competition. Their remotely operated vehicle, named Njord, will address challenges in both wave and flume tanks, navigating through strong water currents, limited visibility conditions, and tasks requiring precise manipulation. Meanwhile, Skadi, an autonomous vertical profiling float, will function in the National Research Council’s ice tank facility, diving underneath sea ice in areas inaccessible to standard ocean-monitoring equipment.
The team developed proprietary onboard software called TritonOS, which manages depth-hold stabilization and enables pilots to instantly reverse Njord’s controls, making the rear manipulator operate with the same intuitive ease as the front arm—a capability unavailable in commercial systems. Additional specialized equipment has been created for specific mission requirements, including computer vision technology for identifying invasive crab species, a photogrammetry system for measuring icebergs, and pneumatic grippers that underwent testing with tomatoes until they achieved the ability to handle fragile cold-water coral without causing damage.
Co-CEO Tenzin Larkin explained that this season focused heavily on iteration, involving continuous testing, analyzing failures, identifying causes, and implementing improvements in subsequent rebuilds.
The team operates with complete student leadership and maintains no school affiliation. Team members handle all aspects of their operations, including engineering design, software creation, financial management, testing procedures, documentation, and pool operations, while mentors provide oversight for workshop activities and safety protocols. Throughout this season, Triton Robotics successfully conducted approximately 30 deep-water pool tests without any safety incidents.
The roster includes Griffin Fisher, Tenzin Larkin, Thomas Gust, Simon Hajduk, Theo Lipson, Miles Lipson, and Emi Enoki. Thomas Gust, serving as the team’s other co-CEO, stated that their mission centers on contributing to environmental protection through engineering solutions.
Additionally, a team from Edmonds College, located north of Seattle, will participate in the same championship event. The Triton Tech team is competing for the third year in a row, this time in the Pioneer class against collegiate teams from across the globe. The team is currently conducting fundraising efforts to support their
participation. During their first year, a hastily assembled team constructed an ROV from PVC pipe materials and achieved fifth place in their category. The previous year saw them travel to Michigan, where they secured ninth place worldwide.