AVI is young. Here's how three founders got from an idea to Newfoundland. Click any chapter to open its own timeline, and any moment for the full story.
The founders
Started by three people in 2025.
Robert Voss, Declan Doss and Timothy Cromwell first competed in the MATE ROV Competition with Engineering Renaissance's Crush Depth team at Clovis Community College. In September 2025 they started AVI at Fresno State.
AVI's founders first competed in MATE ROV with Engineering Renaissance's Crush Depth team at Clovis Community College. Robert Voss, Declan Doss and Timothy Cromwell brought that experience to Fresno State.
Fall 2025
AVI Robotics is founded
Ars Vallis Ingenium, the Valley of Artistic Ingenuity, starts at Fresno State as a club for every major. The fall goes into training: technical skills, documentation habits, marketing and teamwork.
The robot gets wet for the first time. Weeks of leak hunting end with a successful water test on April 4. In between, we volunteer at two runs and MESA.
Pilots are chosen, the technical documentation goes in, and on June 4 we run both robots at the Fresno State pool in front of special guests: Fresno State's president, the dean of the Lyles College of Engineering and the owner of Precision Civil Engineering.
Thirteen students and two robots fly to Newfoundland. SMS wins the Engineering Presentation award with 102 out of 100 points, an all-time Pioneer-class record, and posts the fourth-highest overall Pioneer score.
A new officer board, workshops every Friday, a second Blank Check Project, more outreach, and our first trophy on campus: we won the club booth decorating contest. SMS moves up to the Explorer class for 2027 and a Micromouse team starts forming.
Ars Vallis Ingenium, the Valley of Artistic Ingenuity, starts at Fresno State as a club for every major. The fall goes into training: technical skills, documentation habits, marketing and teamwork.
The robot gets wet for the first time. Weeks of leak hunting end with a successful water test on April 4. In between, we volunteer at two runs and MESA.
Pilots are chosen, the technical documentation goes in, and on June 4 we run both robots at the Fresno State pool in front of special guests: Fresno State's president, the dean of the Lyles College of Engineering and the owner of Precision Civil Engineering.
Thirteen students and two robots fly to Newfoundland. SMS wins the Engineering Presentation award with 102 out of 100 points, an all-time Pioneer-class record, and posts the fourth-highest overall Pioneer score.
A new officer board, workshops every Friday, a second Blank Check Project, more outreach, and our first trophy on campus: we won the club booth decorating contest. SMS moves up to the Explorer class for 2027 and a Micromouse team starts forming.
SMS moves up to the Explorer class for MATE ROV 2027. Fall is for workshops and growth: programming, electronics, CAD and design, and a Blank Check Project where new members build something real in teams. Spring is for building, testing and competing.
Robert Voss
Co-founderrobert.a.voss@avirobotics.org
Declan Doss
Co-founderdeclan.doss@avirobotics.org
Timothy Cromwell
Co-foundertimothy.cromwell@avirobotics.org
