Palouse RoboSub - Guppy AUV Development 2027
Description
Guppy is our autonomous submarine, designed and built by WSU students to compete in RoboSub, an international underwater robotics competition. Using an onboard computer connected to sensors and cameras, Guppy navigates an underwater course and completes complex tasks without human intervention.
We’re raising funds to make Guppy even better. Your support will help us purchase materials and equipment to build practice courses, machine and 3D-print custom parts, and run successful tests to improve her performance. We’re also still missing key components, including the underwater servo motors that power our torpedoes and claw.
Your gift will also help cover competition expenses, including hotel stays and registration fees, reducing the financial burden on our members so they can focus on engineering and competing.
Every contribution, from nuts and bolts to the full registration fee, helps bring WSU’s underwater robotics team to the world stage.
About the Team
We’re a student-led team at Washington State University, bringing together students with different backgrounds and skills to design, build, and program Guppy. Our members work across mechanical design, manufacturing, electronics, and software to create a submarine capable of competing in the water by itself.
Much of Guppy is designed and built in-house, giving our members hands-on experience with everything from CAD and 3D printing to CNC machining, circuit board assembly, and autonomous control systems. We also host workshops to help members develop new skills and contribute to the project. Your support gives our team access to the materials, equipment, and opportunities we need to learn, collaborate, and build a more capable submarine together.
About the Competition
RoboSub 2027 is an international competition held in California, where university teams from around the world build autonomous submarines to complete challenging underwater tasks without remote control. Guppy earns points by performing maneuvers, firing torpedoes at targets, picking up and moving objects, navigating gates and obstacles, and dropping markers.
Last year, despite being a rookie team, we placed 23rd in the world. Since then, we’ve been working to make Guppy faster, more capable, and more competitive. Your support will help WSU build on that achievement and aim even higher at RoboSub 2027.
How Your Support Helps
Your donation directly supports Guppy’s development and helps make competition more accessible for our team. Funds will go toward:
- Materials: Aluminum stock and filament for custom parts, plus PVC pipes and ropes for building practice courses.
- Equipment: Critical components such as underwater servo motors and cameras to improve Guppy’s capabilities.
- Testing: Pool access and testing sessions to troubleshoot hardware, refine software, and prepare for competition.
- Competition expenses: Registration fees, hotel stays, and other travel costs to help our team get to California.
Make an Impact
Every contribution helps us become a stronger team, build a better submarine, and give our members more opportunities to learn through hands-on engineering. Your support helps Guppy represent Washington State University on the international stage at RoboSub 2027.
Thank you for helping us get there!
$10
Nuts, Bolts & Bits
From solder and wires to O-rings and bolts, even the smallest components keep our submarine together and running smoothly. Your donation helps keep Guppy sealed shut, maintained, and pool-ready.
$50
Build the Course
Help us build practice versions of the obstacles and targets Guppy will encounter at competition. From PVC pipes to ropes and baskets, these elements let us practice competition tasks before we arrive.
$150
Fabricate to Compete
From metal stock for machining end caps and motor mounts to filament for 3D-printed parts and prototypes, these materials help us fabricate custom components, test new designs, and improve Guppy ahead of competition.
$500
Hardware to Hotel
We're still missing some critical components, including underwater servo motors that power our torpedoes and claw. Your support will help us purchase those parts, as well as offset hotel costs and other travel expenses for the team.
$1,500
Competition Registration Fee
This is a big goal, but reaching it would cover our entire competition registration fee. Your contribution would help us bring our hard work to the international stage and showcase Washington State University’s underwater robotics program.
