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About Us
Slugbotics is a student led organization at UC Santa Cruz focused on introducing students to hands-on robotics engineering. Engineers of all skill level are welcome and encouraged to join!
What We Do
MATE Underwater Robotics
The Mate project enables students to work on Marine Robotics. This project participates in the MATE ROV International Competition.
Rover Team
The Slugbotics Rover Team operates as one organization with two competition branches: the University Rover Challenge (URC) and NASA Lunabotics Challenge. Together, we design, build, and test advanced robotic systems for planetary exploration and resource excavation.
University Rover Challenge (URC)
The URC branch builds a Mars rover for the University Rover Challenge, emphasizing autonomy, mechanical innovation, and science payload development.
NASA Lunabotics Challenge
The Lunabotics branch designs a lunar excavation rover that competes in NASA's Lunabotics Challenge, focusing on regolith collection, autonomy, and reliability in hard lunar conditions.
Cruz Control Autonomous Vehicles
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SOMARS UAV Research
The SOMARS (System for the Oversight and Management of Autonomous Robotics Systems) deals with all aspects of aerospace and aviation research and robotics.
Combat Robotics
The Combat Robotics Team at UCSC creates a safe and engaging space for engineers to make some cool fighting bots. Our team holds a yearly PLAnt workshop, where new members work in groups to make 1lb plastic combat robots that compete against each other. Additionally, our team has 2 beetleweight combat robots that compete around California.
Railspeeder Rail Health Inspection
The Railspeeder project aims to evaluate the condition and safety of closed and abandoned rail lines so that reports can be generated and provided to transit agencies in hopes of reconditioning and reopening these lines.
Humanoid Team
The Humanoid Robot sub team is dedicated to designing and building an in-house robot that moves like a real person!
Why Join Us?
- Gain practical engineering experience across mechanical, electrical, and software disciplines
- Build fully functional robots used in competitions and research
- Join an inclusive multi‑disciplinary community that welcomes diverse academic backgrounds
- Develop skills in robotics hardware fabrication, software systems, and technical documentation
- Engage in outreach to support and inspire STEM education in the broader community
Our Team
Slugbotics is fully run by cross-departmental undergraduate students with a common passion for engineering. We welcome members of all backgrounds and experience levels.
Get Involved
- Email: slugbotics@ucsc.edu
- Interested in becoming a sponsor? Our club activities are made possible by our generous sponsors. Sponsorship helps support competition, builds, and outreach activities.
- Membership is open to all UCSC students.