Michigan Robotic Submarine

What Michigan Robotic Submarine does

Michigan Robotic Submarine is a student-led engineering team at the University of Michigan, founded in 2019, that designs and builds autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for the annual RoboSub competition held in Irvine, California. The team comprises approximately 30+ primarily undergraduate students organized into four subteams: Mechanical (chassis and propulsion design and fabrication), Software (autonomous behavior, algorithms, ROS integration), Electrical (custom PCBs, wiring, fire-safety systems), and Business (finance, sponsorships, communications). To date, the team has built three successive generations of submarine, incorporating sensors such as IMU and Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and software capabilities including machine-learning-based object detection, obstacle avoidance, localization, and path planning.

The organization does not produce or sell any commercial product. It is funded entirely through corporate sponsorships and donations channeled via the University of Michigan giving platform. The sponsorship roster is anchored by the UMich College of Engineering (Captain-level sponsor) and Ford Motor Company (Commander-level sponsor), with additional Commander and Lieutenant-level support from Michigan Robotics, CSE, ECE, ESG, ME, and CSG. The team operates from dedicated workspace in the Ford Motor Company Robotics Building at 2505 Hayward St, Ann Arbor.

There are no equity investors, no external capital, no disclosed revenue, and no commercial go-to-market. The enterprise is structurally an extracurricular academic engineering team, and its only external stakeholder relationship beyond sponsors is participation in the RoboSub competition, where the team acts as a contestant rather than a vendor.

Name

Michigan Robotic Submarine

Legal name

Michigan Robotic Submarine

Website

https://michiganrobosub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Michigan Robotic Submarine is a University of Michigan student-led engineering team that designs and builds autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for the annual RoboSub competition, funded by corporate and institutional sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Underwater Robotics (USVs/UUVs) (HDAAAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Midget & Special Operations Submarine Manufacturing (IMAJAOAB)

Keywords

• Autonomous underwater vehicles
• Submarine navigation systems
• Underwater robotics engineering
• Robotic submarine design
• Marine vehicle development

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship and Donations: Funded through corporate sponsors and donations through University of Michigan giving platform. No commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Michigan Robotic Submarine is a student-led University of Michigan engineering team that designs, fabricates, and programs autonomous robotic submarines (AUVs) for the annual international RoboSub competition held in Irvine, CA. The team integrates mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems to produce submarines capable of sonar navigation, localization, obstacle avoidance, object detection, path planning, and torpedo target shooting. Three submarine iterations have been built to date by a 30+ member undergraduate team.

Product overview

Michigan Robotic Submarine is a student-led engineering team that develops a single unified autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for participation in the annual RoboSub competition. The team operates across four functional subteams—Mechanical (chassis, propulsion, fabrication), Software (autonomous behavior, algorithms, ROS integration), Electrical (wiring, PCBs, safety systems), and Business (finance, sponsorships, communications)—that collaborate to design and build successive generations of their submarine. The current product is the team's third submarine iteration, incorporating sensors such as IMU, DVL, cameras, and thrusters, with software capabilities including object detection, obstacle avoidance, and localization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Student-engineered autonomous robotic submarine developed for the international RoboSub competition, capable of sonar navigation, localization, obstacle avoidance, object detection, path planning, and torpedo target shooting. Built across Mechanical, Software, Electrical, and Business subteams using ROS, machine learning, IMU/DVL sensors, custom PCBs, and 3D CAD-designed chassis and propulsion.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• L3Harris Technologies: Large defense prime that builds and integrates AUVs, sonars, and undersea warfare systems. Comparable as a producer of military-grade underwater autonomous platforms, though at vastly greater scale and with defense procurement as the customer.
• Saildrone: Develops autonomous marine vehicles (primarily USVs with some underwater capability) for ocean data collection, seafloor mapping, and defense. Comparable in using autonomous marine platforms for sustained ocean missions at scale.
• Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII): Major U.S. defense shipbuilder that produces submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles through its Ingalls and Newport News divisions. Comparable at the high end as a U.S. submarine manufacturer, though serving military rather than academic customers.
• Teledyne Marine: Division of Teledyne Technologies supplying underwater sonars, navigation, AUVs, and oceanographic instruments. Comparable as a provider of integrated navigation, sonar, and subsea vehicle systems used in AUV platforms.

Direct peers

• BlueRobotics: Open-source marine robotics company that designs and sells affordable underwater vehicles, thrusters, and components. Comparable in its focus on accessible AUV hardware and software for the research and hobbyist market.
• OceanServer Technology (iXblue / Exail): Manufactures Iver-series AUVs for survey, environmental monitoring, and defense applications. Directly comparable as a producer of small autonomous underwater vehicles with integrated sensors and mission autonomy.
• AquaBotix: Develops small, man-portable autonomous underwater vehicles for inspection, defense, and research applications. Directly comparable in building compact AUVs with sonar, cameras, and onboard autonomy for subsea tasks.

Emerging players

• Hydromea: Swiss-based developer of miniature autonomous underwater robots and underwater wireless communication systems. Comparable as a small-scale AUV builder focused on compact underwater autonomy and inspection.
• Boston Engineering: Engineering services firm that designs and builds unmanned systems including AUVs for defense and commercial customers. Comparable in the development of custom autonomous underwater vehicle platforms and embedded control software.
• Bedrock Ocean: Autonomous underwater exploration company that deploys AUVs for seafloor mapping and survey work. Comparable mission profile (seafloor mapping, sonar localization, autonomous subsea navigation) with a commercial execution focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/michiganrobosub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Michigan Robotic Submarine