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Students plan ROV design
for national contest
How would you
design and construct a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of
turning a valve cap, repairing a damaged cable and installing an
instrument module?
That is the
challenge four West Carteret High School students are undertaking as
they enter the 4th Annual 2005 MATE Center/MTS ROV Committee
ROV Competition. The competition is sponsored by the Marine Advancement
Technology Education (MATE) Center and the Marine Technology Society’s
(MTS) ROV Committee with the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at
NASA’s Johnson Space Center Sonny Carter Training Facility.
West Carteret
High School students Matt Backman, Matt Gildner, Greg Moore and Matt
Stallsworth learned about the competition from East Carteret High School
science
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teacher
Barbara Waters, and decided this was just the
after-school challenge they were seeking. Mrs. Waters is the team’s
teacher sponsor.
“I am interested in oceanography and a career in ocean
engineering,” Matt Backman said. He serves as the team’s leader.
“The ROV we construct has to be from a unique design. It has to be
able to propel itself and have an arm capable of completing tasks such
as closing a valve underwater and repairing a cable.”
Matt Gildner
also enjoys oceanography.
“We live by
the ocean so what occurs around us interests me,” Mr. Gildner said.
“I’m also interested in robotics so this whole project interests me.
I think developing the design will be the most difficult part.” The
construction will take place in the Gildner’s garage.
For junior
Matt Stallsworth, the entire project is a challenge.
“The project
sounds enjoyable to me because we will actually build an ROV,” Mr.
Stallsworth said. “I like things that pertain to the ocean. I think
the most difficult part will probably be the electronics because we have
to make our own control system.” He is interested in a career possibly
dealing with biology or marine science.
‘I became interested because I wanted to be able to build
something and use it,” Greg Moore said. “I thought working as a team
would be interesting too.”
The team and
Mrs. Waters plan to begin the project this month by going to Cape Fear
Community College to look at an ROV built there. They will then begin
creating a unique design for their ROV.
Leader Matt Backman expects the team will need five months to construct
the ROV, and it must be ready for the June national competition in
California. Mrs. Waters explained the competition sponsors have advanced
the West Carteret team to national competition because there was no
regional competition in the surrounding area.
In order to design and
construct the ROV, the students are seeking monetary and material
donations. Businesses or individuals interested in assisting these
students are asked to contact Barbara Waters at East Carteret High
School. The competition sponsors give each team $100 for a base, however
more funds will be needed for the purchase of materials, hardware and to
transport the students and the ROV to competition.
The competition is open to
high school, college and university students, and each team must have at
least three students with at least one faculty member or adult advisor
involved in the process. Parents Tom Backman and Mike Gildner are
serving as advisors.
The competition offers two
classes in which teams can compete – Explorer and Ranger. The West
Carteret High School students will compete in the Ranger Class, a class
described as suitable for high school students yet challenging.
In the Ranger Class, ROVs operate at a maximum of 13 volts, 25 amps. In
addition to underwater mission tasks, both classes will be challenged
with engineering evaluation interviews, technical reports and poster
displays.
The Ranger
Class underwater competition consists of three “Olympic” events.
Each event has a different theme that relates to how ROVs are used in
the real world. Ranger class teams will get two attempts at each event
and the better of the two scores will be used to determine the winner of
each event.
All the events
take place in a swimming pool and involve imagery scenarios. The first
event calls for the ROV to cap an oil well. The ROV must descend to the
base of the oil platform, turn a value to stop the oil from flowing and
return to the surface. The handle will require a one-quarter turn to
shut off the flow. Water will stop flowing from the “oil well” when
the valve is successfully turned.
The second
event calls for the ROV to repair a simulation of a damaged fiber optic
cable connection. The ROV must transport the fiber optic cable and
communication probe from the surface to the underwater junction box,
insert the probe into the open port in the junction box and return to
the surface. A strobe light at the pool’s edge will flash to indicate
the repair has been successfully made.
The third
event requires the ROV to install a new instrument module on a simulated
Hubble space telescope. The ROV must transport the instrument module
from the surface to the telescope secured to a platform in the pool,
place the module on the designated location on the telescope and return
to the surface. A strobe light at the pool’s surface will flash when
the work has been completed.
In the
Explorer Class, teams must design and build the vehicle that will
explore Mystery Reef, an imagery underwater reef, and perform a
multi-faceted set of scientific measurements and recovery tasks within
30 minutes. The event takes place in a swimming pool. The water may be
up to 5.5 meters deep. A mock-up of Mystery Reef will be on the bottom
of the pool.
“This competition is a
wonderful way for students to learn about the fields of ocean
engineering and ocean technology,” Mrs. Waters said. “At the
national competition these students will be exposed to the creative work
and ideas of high school and college students from across the country.
“This is very exciting,”
Mrs. Waters added. “Engineers, electricians, mechanics and technicians
who work in ocean fields can also apply their knowledge to working in
space, so there are so many opportunities for these students to
explore.”
Scoring for
the competition is divided into two categories – the mission
accomplishment and the engineering/communication of the work.
The goals of the project
are: to increase the
awareness and visibility of marine technical fields, educational and
career opportunities, and potential employers; to help students develop
the skills necessary for careers in technical fields (skills such as the
ability to work as a team, problem solve, think critically,
troubleshoot, communicate effectively and manage projects); to connect
students and educators with employers and working professionals; to give
students the opportunity to learn how similar technologies are used to
explore both the depths of our oceans and the far reaches of outer space.
Additional information about
the 4th Annual 2005 MATE Center/MTS ROV Committee ROV
Competition and the requirements for the ROVs can be found at http://www.marinetech.org/rov_competition/index.php.
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