SAR is not a hobbyist club. Every member completes a rigorous onboarding sequence before contributing to our competition builds. Summer 2026 intake is capped at 40 seats, selected by merit through a 48-hour Tech Sprint.
Every member — Core (local) or Consultant (remote) — is tracked on a Public Progress Dashboard. Commit activity, CAD revisions, issues closed, and lab hours are visible to the team. If a Consultant's output exceeds a Core member's for three consecutive weeks, that Consultant is publicly highlighted. No favoritism. No politics. Just the work.
Chassis design, rapid fabrication, actuator integration, durability testing. CAD-forward and fabrication-heavy.
ESP32-S3 firmware, precise motor control, and real-time 50–100 Hz control loops. Low-level, high-stakes.
Intel RealSense D435i depth integration, LiDAR-based SLAM, GPS-denied autonomy. Where sensors become maps.
Isaac Lab reinforcement learning, sim-to-real transfer, gait optimization. Policy-first autonomy.
Submit the intake form with your declared track, division, and Artifact Ownership Pitch. Apr 26 – May 3.
Invited applicants complete a 48-hour Tech Sprint on a division-specific challenge. May 4 – May 6.
Offers sent May 7. Mission Briefing May 9. Full horizontal-flow training before you touch a build.
Both tracks receive identical Legacy Status — a guaranteed spot in the Fall 70–85 person roster, with priority for VP and Lead promotions.
Physical lab access. Owns builds, field tests, in-person demos. Expected 10–15 hrs/week on-site.
For students at internships or out of town. Owns code, CAD, grants, design. Expected 8–12 hrs/week remote.
No. The Consultant track exists for students at internships or out of town. The bar for output is the same.
Yes. All 40 Summer members receive Legacy Status, which locks in a Fall roster seat and priority for leadership promotions.
Yes, if you can show one shipped artifact. Class standing is not a filter. Evidence of ownership is.
High-performing remote members can receive a Chief Architect or Technical Fellow role — full technical authority, no admin load. Three awarded per cycle.