KAU team eyes commercial future after global robotics success

JEDDAH — A multidisciplinary student team from King Abdulaziz University (KAU) will commercialize an award-winning underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) after placing seventh at the MATE ROV 2026 World Championship in Canada. The Red Sea Rovers competed in the Pioneer category against 35 universities at Memorial University, and were honored by KAU President Dr. Tareef Al-Aama following their performance in the championship finals.

“The global ranking represented ‘a starting point, not a final destination,’” said Ammar Abdulghani Melaibari, general supervisor of the industrial workshops at the Faculty of Engineering and supervisor of the university’s Manufacturing Club.

Project, design and university support

The ROV, developed over two years within KAU’s Manufacturing Club under the Deanship of Student Affairs, integrates advanced control, sensing and operational systems to deliver stability and precision in challenging marine environments. Melaibari described the vehicle as an “integrated hybrid system powered by eight thrusters, giving it six degrees of freedom,” capable of operating both in an autonomous mode for programmed missions and a tethered mode for direct control with unlimited operating time.

“The idea came in response to the need for safe, lower-cost solutions for underwater inspection, rather than relying entirely on divers or expensive imported systems,” Melaibari said. The team is developing additional capabilities including an underwater welding system and a robotic arm aimed at reducing the need to deploy divers in hazardous environments.

Applications and commercial model

Potential applications span environmental monitoring and industrial inspection: mapping and documenting coral reefs and marine wildlife, collecting environmental samples, autonomous 3D mapping of underwater sites, and inspecting pipelines, ship hulls, port infrastructure, desalination plant intakes and offshore energy facilities. Melaibari stressed that the breadth of applications represents “a genuine commercial opportunity.”

Rather than selling hardware, KAU plans to spin the project into a services company that would offer environmental surveys, sample collection, inspection and maintenance services for ports, desalination plants and offshore facilities. The proposed startup model aims to replace imported services with Saudi expertise while generating revenue to fund further research and development. The university intends to support the initiative through patent registrations and incubation via KAU’s business incubator and Wadi Jeddah.

Team, partners and next steps

The multidisciplinary Red Sea Rovers team includes Ruba Faisal Al-Nashiri, Abdullah Mohammed bin Salman, Ammar Khalid Al-Ahmadi, Imtinan Ayman Al-Halawani, Manar Mahdi Talib, Youssef Ahmed Baabdullah, Abdulsalam Suleiman Al-Faifi, Raghad Ahmed Al-Saedi, Rahaf Abdulkhaliq Al-Adwani, Al-Mahdi Mohammed Sirafi, Faris Mujahid Al-Bukhari and Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Harbi.

• Institutional and corporate support: King Abdulaziz University, the Scientific Endowment and Johnson Controls Arabia
• Technical roadmap: a three-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, AI-powered image and data analysis, and enhanced autonomous 3D mapping
• Education and capacity: expanded student participation across mechanical, electrical, computer science, AI, marine sciences, administration and media disciplines

KAU says future priorities include knowledge continuity, technical advancement, intellectual property protection and entrepreneurship. Sustainable funding and partnerships with industrial and defense-sector organizations are being sought to cover equipment, materials and participation in future international competitions, while new cohorts of students will be trained alongside current members to preserve expertise and strengthen global competitiveness.