Have you heard of underwater robots that can move, process data, complete complex tasks, and navigate all on their own without any human input? They venture through the ocean for hours, sometimes even days, before returning with valuable data about marine life and ocean conditions.

These are AUVs, or ‘autonomous underwater vehicles,’ and they’re exactly what we’re trying to make happen here at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Enter AutoSub Club. Our mission statement is to allow students to gain hands-on and project-based experience for a purpose that interests them. With UCSB being the only UC to have a beach directly on campus, we wondered why there is no organization for students to get hands-on experience in marine robotics and engineering. That’s why we’ve decided to be the first and pave the way. But building an organization from the ground up isn’t easy. Compared to many school clubs that have been around for years or even decades, we started just a few months ago, in early February 2026. We’ve made a lot of progress since then, but we’re only getting started.

With the season of campus organization registration arriving in a few months, we hope to eventually receive resources, funding, and networking from the student body. Until then? We need your help, because we’ve decided to get right to the point and create our very first prototype.

As a realistic first goal, this prototype will actually be an ROV (remote operated vehicle) controlled through a tether cable that connects to ground. We’re mainly focusing on building our mechanical and electrical engineering knowledge base, with implementation of computer engineering as well. Our design plans call for a pressure hull, a watertight compartment that contains sensitive and vital electronics. Surrounding this hull will be a strong, lightweight frame that secures thrusters and wiring. And of course, the internal electronics will be carefully mounted on sliding aluminum trays, for easy disassembly and reassembly.

What are some of the components we’re including?

Raspberry Pi 4B

Raspberry Pi Camera Module

36V to 12V 20A DC-DC BUCK Module

12V to 5V 3A DC-DC BUCK Module

Perf Board 9x15cm

Brushless ESC 45A (6 units)

MPU6050 IMU Module

Arduino Nano

..and more. Between the costs of internal electronics, the costs of stock parts for the pressure hull and frame, and the investment into labor and workshopping, any amount of your help would be greatly appreciated.

You may also be wondering: after the prototype, what’s next?

We plan to compete in RoboSub, an international robotics competition where teams of high school and college students create AUVs and put them to the test in a large pool filled with trials, tasks, and obstacles. We feel that RoboSub will be a valuable learning experience for us, as it will require us to develop our organization in many different areas relevant to real-world applications: team organization, leadership, time management, design and technical reports, branding and outreach, networking, and of course, experimentation.

We want to have a strong emphasis on each student being able to contribute meaningfully to a project. Sometimes, with too many people, one singular project can cause work to be stretched thin. That’s why we’re also interested in independent marine research projects. Students will eventually be able to find topics of marine research they are interested in, or will be able to assist other organizations that specialize in research. Groups of students will then be able to form their own research subteams using the skills and experience that AutoSub has gathered as a whole. Additionally, much like any other organization, there will be ample opportunities for those in finance and business related majors to gain skills through people management, club organization, event planning, and more.

AutoSub’s journey at UCSB is just beginning, and you can help be a part of our story by contributing! Your donations will be an investment in the future of many fields that we incorporate, such as:

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Computer Engineering

Computer Science

Statistics and Data Science

Marine Science

Economics

Communications

Thank you for your support. We look forward to the exciting future of AutoSub at UCSB!