We are Slugbotics, the sole robotics team at UC Santa Cruz!
Through our student-led projects, we exemplify the pioneering spirit of robotics! We aim to unite students from different backgrounds through participation in top-tier international competitions and the development of cutting-edge robotics projects. Each subteam within Slugbotics is a testament to our commitment to pushing the boundaries of engineering and technology. Here is an overview of our distinguished subteams:
MATE: Underwater Robotics
MATE is our oldest subteam, focusing on creating an ROV that goes underwater to complete tasks simulating deep-sea marine research. MATE teaches students CAD, embedded systems programming, EDA, and other mechanical, electrical, and software skills required to create the ROV. Your donation to this subteam would be used to prototype new solutions and create a better ROV this year.
SOMARS: Drone Research
SOMARS is our aerial vehicle research subteam. We focus on studying aerial vehicles in all forms, including drones, UAVs, and even larger concepts like eVTOL aircraft. We are pursuing the CITRIS 2023 Aviation Prize, where we integrate eVTOL transport that enables people to travel between UC campuses (UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced). This will involve programming flight control and scheduling software, proposing new and novel infrastructure to all four campuses, and developing the tools to analyze and build our proposal. We have worked with many professors, including CITRIS Executive Director Michael Matkin, Professor Ricardo Sanfelice, and Professor Steve McGuire.
CRUZ Control: Autonomous Driving
F1Tenth works with pathfinding, SLAM, object detection, and collision avoidance machine learning models to race an autonomous RC car around a track. The team teaches new members LIDAR computer vision using Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2). Our development environment uses Python, C++, Ubuntu, and Docker to simulate vehicle movement. F1Tenth is a heavily research-focused team that will take advantage of the numerous papers related to F1Tenth pathing and automation. We aim to compete in the official F1Tenth competition this Spring 2024!
ARM: Robotic Arm Research
Arm Team aims to create a robotic arm assistant that responds to human speech and, later, research possibilities of controlling the arm using a brain-computer interface. The hardware team is building a custom six-DOF robotic arm, and the software team is working to combine NLP, computer vision, and reinforcement learning in an intelligent robotic system. Members use various tools such as CAD, AI algorithms, ROS, and Gazebo Simulator, as well as drawing from novel robotics research. Arm Team hopes to purchase a variety of sensors, servers, and a brain-computer interface to further their research.
Combat Robotics
This Combat Robotics team was born as a result of our love for Battle Bots. Our main team bot, Record Scratch, has achieved second place for two consecutive years at the UCLA Smackdown Competition and also secured victory this summer at the Bay Area Robotics Competition. The Combat Robotics team teaches new members different mechanical designs of bots, 3D printing, CAD, and more! Throughout the summer, our team diligently worked on a new bot project, slated to become a hammersaw by year-end. Additionally, we hold weekly workshops where new members can create their own plastic bots with the guidance of experienced senior teammates. Lots of students are interested in building battle bots, making it a popular team for Slugbotics. At the beginning of next year, we plan to host a competition here at UC Santa Cruz for our workshop members.
We can do this! Thank you!
Slugbotics is aiming to raise $9,000 to propel each teams toward achieving their ambitious goals. Your generous contribution will directly support competition fees, travel expenses, and the procurement of essential project materials. By donating to Slugbotics, you are investing in the future of robotics and the next generation of engineers poised to make significant contributions to the field.
We are so thankful and extend our deepest gratitude for considering a donation to Slugbotics during UC Santa Cruz's annual Spring Give. Your support truly plays a pivotal role in empowering our students to excel and innovate within the dynamic landscape of robotics engineering.
