4. Robotic Whirlpools

ROV Specifications
The Purpose of
The Remotely Operated Vehicle our team has created shares various qualities with the standard
design as well as many of our own touches. Here are some detailed descriptions:
SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program that helps students develop a deeper
understanding of concepts related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
According to the ONR, the US is ranked 17th in the world for number of engineering graduates.
This is a giant drop from its previous ranking of 3rd. With SeaPerch, the Navy hopes to raise the
next generation of aspiring leaders in the career fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics. We, as multi-year participants, are proof that their ambition is becoming a reality.
Frame- Polyvinyl Chlor ide, PVC, is the main building mater ial used in constr ucting the
apparatus. We chose this building material because it was affordable, water-proof, strong, and
could be found/fitted easily. Some PVC sizes we used were 4.5’’, 6.5’’ and 2.5’’.
Motor Placement-The motors on our ROV are placed on the outermost sides. This way, we
could pilot our ROV knowing that it would maneuver easily. This decision can be compared to
placing the motors inward (bottleneck), an action that would sacrifice much needed turning
abilities. It was important to make sure that both motors were symmetrically placed on the ROV.
Otherwise, it would swerve, an issue we encountered when testing the ROV.
ORBS Challenge- In order to meet the needs of the ORBS challenge, our team drew up a plan
and constructed an attachment that would help in the process of completing this additional task.
This device is made of a PVC tee, CPVC male adapter, CPVC female adapter, CPVC cap, zip
ties, CPVC straps and a PEX pipe. The entire design can easily fold back since all of it rests on a
pivotal tee. Our desire for the ORBS challenge was to have a design that was structurally stable,
didn’t interfere with the ROV’s obstacle course performance, and wasn’t extremely dense. The
combination of PEX and CPVC made sure that our attachment satisfied our needs since these
materials were not that dense, yet they made a secure framework and didn’t conflict with our
other tasks.
Our Team
SeaPerch has definitely benefited our team. Throughout the ROV build process, we came to understand the various concepts needed for creating a Remotely Operated Vehicle. Also, our
minds were enlightened with a wide array of knowledge concerning Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. As a whole, SeaPerch has brought us up to become individuals that
once knew the basics of math and science, to a group of engineers that have applied that knowledge into a hands on learning experience. We came in knowing the basics of STEM, yet we didn’t
grasp the idea of how it related to reality. SeaPerch helped us bridge that gap. Our hope is that the skills we have acquired in this program can be passed onto more students so that they too will
be able to prepare for their future in STEM.
Holes in PVC– Our group drilled holes in the external frame of our ROV. This way, water
would go in when our ROV was submerged, and water would drain out when taken out of the
water. These holes were mainly drilled into the PVC elbows of our ROV. The other holes we
drilled were used to mount motors onto.
Remote Controller– Since we wanted to have complete control over our ROV, we had to use a
remote controller. We had to solder the remote control parts to the PCB. Toggle switches
(DPDT) were used to move the ROV left and right, port and starboard respectively. Push buttons
(SPDT) were used to move the ROV vertically.
Expense Report
PEX Pipe- $1.86
1/2’’PVC Tee- $0.43
3/8’’ Male Adapter$0.29
PVC Glue- $2.33
Tri-Tee- $2.70
Female Adapter- $0.82

Working with a broken obstacle course
Male Adapter- $0.68

Having our ROV lean to one side

Having our ROV’s motor malfunctioning
Knowledge Gained From SeaPerch
Throughout the process of SeaPerch, we were fortunate to have learned an immense amount of
knowledge. Here are just a few examples of what we have learned from SeaPerch:
Archimedes Principle– Finding the volume of irregular shaped objects uses the concept of
displacement. The volume of an object can be found by subtracting the original volume of a
liquid from the volume of the liquid with the object.
Neutral Buoyancy– Since our ROV was required to go through the obstacle course and ORBS
challenge, we had to make our ROV neutrally buoyant. Neutral buoyancy is when there is an
equal amount of force pushing on an object from both above and below in a fluid. Neutral
buoyancy was achieved with our ROV by adjusting the size of our floats after testing it out in
the water.
Soldering Techniques– No matter what career path is chosen by a person, soldering is always a
great to skill to possess. Even though all our team members aren’t exceptional soldering experts,
we still have a strong understanding of soldering basics. The solder that we used on our
controller is made of a copper(0.7%) and tin(99.3%) mixture. When soldering our remote
together, we used a soldering iron in order to make secure connections between part terminals
and the PCB. Great care was exercised in order to prevent any possible bridges.
In the twenty-first century, everything is advancing at a faster pace than before. These
advances enhance the tiniest things in life. Special skills are needed to live and work in our everchanging world. SeaPerch has assisted in the development of 21st Century Skills in our life.
Some examples are…
Non-Routine Problem Solving- In the process of being a SeaPerch participant, we had to use
our creative thinking skills in order to propose innovative solutions to solve issues like coming
up with a design to overcome the ORBS challenge.
Aarya Patel: 8th Grade
Lloyd Richards: 8th Grade
Hannah Belinne: 8th Grade
Robert Liao: 8th Grade
Nathanael Mathew: 7th Grade
I aspire to become a naval
engineer. naval engineers build
and maintain water vessels.
Designing a vessel requires the
engineering knowledge attained
from SeaPerch. Also, science
concepts are used when taking
into account whether or not an
item is neutrally buoyant.
Ever since my early years, I’ve
always had a passion for
electronics
and
creating
machines. I hope to become a
mechanical engineer when I
grow up. The engineering
concepts I have learned from
SeaPerch can really help me
create new innovations.
Veterinary medicine, a career
path I hope to follow, is heavily
involved with both SeaPerch and
STEM. It is vital for me to use
the organizational techniques
and experience with technology
I have learned in SeaPerch to
manage the needs of my patients
in addition.
It is my dream to become a
marine
engineer.
Using
information
learned
from
SeaPerch, like buoyancy, tethers,
and controllers, I can now delve
deeper into an underwater world.
Also, I can get an understanding
of possible applications the ROV
can be used for.
When I grow up, I want to be a
biomedical engineer. SeaPerch
has inspired and prepared me to
hopefully take on this task.
When dealing with the electronic
components of the ROV, I was
gaining knowledge that could be
applied when designing new
devices.
Obstacles We Faced
Just like any journey in life, our team
encountered various trials, such as:
Skills in SeaPerch
Complex Communication Skills- During our participation in SeaPerch, from team discussions
to lengthy interviews, we were required to use our communication skills. After having the
wonderful opportunity of being a part of SeaPerch, we as a team have learned how to speak
clearly, negotiate future possible plans, and explain design enhancements concisely.
Floats- We adjusted the amount of floats to make the ROV neutr ally buoyant. Adding
floats also increased the amount of air, decreasing the density and vise-versa.
Waterproofed Motors– The impurities in water conduct electricity. Therefore, leaving our
motors bare in the water would pose an issue. Therefore, we used electrical tape, film canisters,
and toilet bowl wax to waterproof our motors.
st
21 Century
10/29/15- We understood the basic guidelines of SeaPerch
11/3/15- We made a design brief just like real engineers.
11/5/15- We measured our PVC for the external frame
11/10/15- We started to cut the pipes according to the Build Guide
11/12/15- We assembled the outer frame of the ROV
11/17/15- We confronted an obstacle since we waxed the motors before soldering
the wires to it. This issue was confronted later on in our build process. We also
started to strip wires.
11/19/15- Soldering was completed for the controller as well as the motors. When
testing our motors out, we realized that one was not working. After using an
alternate controller, it was decided that there was a deficiency in the original
controller.
12/1/15- This day was spent affixing our propellers to the motors. We sanded the
shaft so that the glue would stick securely. This was step was to be done with
caution in order to prolong the life of the propeller.
12/3/15- A theory was developed involving the forward PVC pipes of the ROV. We
thought that if holes were made in the PVC, then there would be less resistance of
water hitting the aft of the ROV. Also, we waterproofed the motors and zip tied them
to our frame.
1/5/16- We placed the ROV in a body of cold and chlorine water. Since we originally
had too much floats, we took some off for a neutrally buoyant ROV.
1/7/16- We identified an issue with our ROV. the floats kept sliding in different
direction underwater. This caused an unbalanced ROV. We solved this by adding
rubber bands to keep the float in place securely.
1/12/16- We kept adding and subtracting the float amount so that our ROV would be
neutrally buoyant.
1/23/16- Since we wanted more speed from our ROV, we angled the motors in a
bottleneck position. This way, the motors formed one giant propulsion so that the
ROV would glide through the water at a faster rate. This idea was eventually
disregarded since maneuvering the ROV was more difficult without the motors being
placed on the outside.
Adaptability- We were fortunate in SeaPerch to learn how to “think on our feet” and get used to
changes that occurred. For example, when we worked alongside our teammates, we had to
understand the way their thoughts were processed in order to help our team work together
seamlessly. This helped lessen the amount of confusions we had in group discussions, a vital
skill in the real world.
Self-Management/Self-Development– Without technology, our team would have had limited
time to collaborate for SeaPerch. Many of us had busy schedules and were unable to meet in
person for discussions. We used various forms of technology to converse, such as video
conferencing and online research documents. Sometimes, people couldn’t always log on at the
same time as others, so they would log onto the research documents late at night to do their part.
Each member of our team had topics that they had to research in a certain amount of time. After
completing this, we had to debrief each other on our topics. Our team showed a willingness to
cooperate with others, learn new information quickly, take responsibility of team commitments
and help teammates when needed.
The Incorporation of STEM
STEM, also known as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, was deeply
intertwined through the process of developing our ROV. When constructing the physical frame
of our ROV, we had to have a deep understanding of engineering concepts. Technology was
used when building the controller. We needed to use Mathematics in order for us to cut the PVC
pipes to the correct length. Also, math helped us understand various topics in science. For
example, the formula for density: D=m/v. Finally, we have Science. Science played a huge role
in the experimental part of our process since we had to understand the types of buoyancy in
order to get our ROV neutrally buoyant. In conclusion, STEM really made up a huge portion of
our process.
Contact Information:
Nolan Ryan Jr. High
11500 Shadow Creek Parkway, Pearland, TX 77584
Phone- (281) 245-3210
Fax- (281) 245– 3221
Emails:
Robin [email protected]
Sarah BhaskaranPhoto Credits to Alvin Independent School District
[email protected]
and Hugo Bozz