In June 2026, the X Academy’s Hephaestus Robotics earned FIRST place in the Ranger Class at the MATE ROV World Championship in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Hephaestus competed against 47 high school teams from 13 countries within the Ranger Class, while the overall championship brought together 86 student teams from 16 countries across multiple competition divisions.

The victory marked the program's first world title after a remarkable four-year climb that included a 5th-place finish in 2023 and back-to-back 3rd-place finishes in 2024 and 2025.

The team is a partnership between X Academy and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and brings together high-school students from across Santa Cruz County to design, build, test, and operate commercial-class underwater robots inspired by real-world ocean engineering challenges.

Students function as a startup engineering company, taking responsibility not only for robot design and mission performance, but also for technical documentation, budgeting, marketing, fundraising, engineering presentations, and community engagement. Perhaps most importantly, they develop life skills of leadership, teamwork, and collaboration to be problem-solvers.

Since 2021, X Academy's robotics programs have engaged more than 200 students from 15 high schools, providing no-cost access to rigorous, hands-on STEM experiences supported by volunteer mentors and community partners.

Hephaestus' World Championship victory demonstrates what is possible when students are given ambitious goals, caring mentorship, authentic challenges, and the opportunity to learn through iteration and perseverance.

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