SEPTEMBER:
Level I:
In this first class of the 10 part series, students will be introduced to the concepts of underwater diving and a brief history of undersea exploration. Students will be given an overview of the coming classes and see the resources they will be provided in order to
complete their own Underwater Robot! Students will be encouraged to use the Engineering Design Process throughout the course of this program. They will be encouraged to ask questions, brainstorm creative ideas, diagram prototypes, hypothesize and test their ideas and of course improve upon their own designs week after week. We will begin the exciting hands-on portion of this class exploring diving bells and bell construction.
Pre-visit Reading:
Investigate Neutral buoyancy and Plimsoll Line.
Come to class prepared to define both terms.
Post-visit Reading:
Homework: You might want to watch the movie "Men Of Honor" with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert DeNiro. It's a great movie specifically related to the history of diving but the movie was made to tell the story of the racism overcome by a young black man in the US Navy. We recommend parents read reviews first as the movie is rated R due to strong language (lots of cursing like, well....sailors!)
Level II:
By the end of the first class Sea Fox Students should have made the following decisions:
1)
Use or not use the plans as set down in the textbook for the MIT Sea Fox robot
Use or not use the plans as set down in the textbook for the MIT Sea Fox robot2)What will the robot be expected to do and where will it be expected to operate?
What will the robot be expected to do and where will it be expected to operate?3)Will the Robot be tethered, wireless, preprogrammed or autonomous?
Will the Robot be tethered, wireless, preprogrammed or autonomous?4)What materials do I have available?
What materials do I have available?5)What materials do I have for trade with other students?
What materials do I have for trade with other students?6)Will I be working as part of a Team or alone?
Will I be working as part of a Team or alone?Keeping notes of decisions will be important for the success of this project. Memory is not your friend and you will experience that in January as you try to remember what you thought or decided on in September.
OCTOBER:
Level I:
In this class students will learn about motion under
water and learn how it might be different or similar to
movement in the air. Students will be challenged to
design and build simple underwater gliders that will
go the farthest distance under water before hitting
bottom, make their glider descend in a circular path,
and dive to a certain depth and then return to the
surface. Students will learn about fins, rudders, and
angle of attack.
Homework: Read pages in the ROV CONSTRUCTION MANUAL relevant to the next session and come prepared with a basic knowledge of what you will be expected to work on in class.
Additional Resource: Designing an Autonomous Underwater Vehichle - concepts in Lift, Drag, Thrust, Energy, Power, Mass and Buoyancy.
Level II:
By the end of the second class the Sea Fox students should have a basic answer to each of the questions (and others) from Class One.
Sea Fox students should have a basic plan and design for their Sea Fox and, possibly, a new name. Sea Cow might not be propitious. Sea Ewe might be amusing. Sea Bee might be a copyright violation.
The first design criterion might be the propulsion system and the power source. Sea ? students might begin researching various propulsion plans. Much has been done already.
Think Biomimicry. What’s that? Find out.
NOVEMBER:
Level I:
Before we begin the work of creating an underwater
ROV from raw materials we need to go over tool usage
and safety rules. Students will practice using PVC
pipe cutters, hack saws, drills and clamps, Given
enough time, students will begin designing their
robotic platform by cutting the tubing for the
submersible ROV, drilling drain holes, assembling
the frame and adding floatation devices.
Homework: Read pages in the ROV CONSTRUCTION MANUAL relevant to the next session and come prepared with a basic knowledge of what you will be expected to work on in class.
Level II:
Sea ? students should have a working plan for propulsion and power. In general the propulsion system will determine power needs. Of course, the student might decide to work the other way round.
By the end of this class Sea ? students should have a basic idea of the structure for support of the propulsion system and what materials might be used.
DECEMBER
Level I:
Students will perform an electronic dissection in
order to become familiar with common wiring
techniques. Valuable insight into how the ‘control box’
is to be made will be gleaned from the wreckage of the
various electronic equipment. If there is enough time,
students will continue to work on the ROV frame, add
payload netting and motor mounts.
Homework: Read pages in the ROV CONSTRUCTION MANUAL relevant to the next session and come prepared with a basic knowledge of what you will be expected to work on in class.
Level II:
Sea ? students should have worked out the basics of the propulsion system, power system and structure of their Sea ?. The beginning phases of construction should have already begun.
Problems will already be cropping up. How you solve them is probably more important than anything else. Are you a problem solver?
The proof is in the ?.
JANUARY
Level I:
Using information gathered earlier, the ROV frames
will be placed in a water tank to test its buoyancy
and control. Students will learn why the frame needs
to be neutrally buoyant and what needs to be done in
order to accomplish this. We will also practice safe
soldering techniques which must be mastered now
so that control boxes work later!
Homework: Read pages in the ROV CONSTRUCTION MANUAL relevant to the next session and come prepared with a basic knowledge of what you will be expected to work on in class.
Level II:
The next problem to be solved is buoyancy. You could hope to make your robot neutrally buoyant or you could conceive of a manner to make the Sea ? variably buoyant. This means creating a system where water or other substances (air?) could be pumped into or out of a container to make the Sea ? sink or float either at your control or from an onboard control.
FEBRUARY
Level I:
The thrusters on the ROV are actually electric motors.
In today's class students will continue to work on the
ROV frame and add thrusters and propellers to the
body. Thrusters will need to be sealed in water tight
containers, the wires attached to them (by soldering)
and tested to make sure they work (very important).
If there is time, the thrusters will then be attached to
the frame. Student swill learn about Cells, Batteries
and Polarity.
Homework: Read pages in the ROV CONSTRUCTION MANUAL relevant to the next session and come prepared with a basic knowledge of what you will be expected to work on in class.
Level II:
Sea ? students should be well into the construction phase. Have you a way to transport your Sea ? ?
What ideas have you acquired through your research and watching others?
MARCH
Level I:
The submersible ROV is ‘tethered’, meaning the
control box is physically connected to the motors
(thrusters) so that they can be controlled. This
control box must be constructed from scratch.
Students will gather parts and prepare an ergonomic
design for the box. Students will learn about reading
schematics, power cables, button switches, and
toggle switches. There will be lots of soldering and
drilling. Safety is the issue here but so is
attention to detail. The simplest error can make
everything not work. It is so easy to make mistakes at this point. TOTAL CONCENTRATION NECESSARY! And goggles (which we provide).
Homework: Read pages in the ROV CONSTRUCTION MANUAL relevant to the next session and come prepared with a basic knowledge of what you will be expected to work on in class.
Level II:
By this point, Sea ? students should be in the troubleshooting, programming, systems integration phase. Systems integration refers to simple things like: does your propeller cut power wires?
Trouble shooting will occupy the next few classes. Rarely do things work the first time. Just look at the Ford Pinto, from a safe distance, especially if it is making a left hand turn.
APRIL
Level I:
Today is a ‘troubleshooting’ day. The control box
needs to be attached to the ROV as well as the tether
line for ‘emergency retrieval’. The motors need to be
attached to the ROV if they have not been. Students
will sign up for test time in the tank. Students will need
to hunt down problems with their control box, ROV
motors, etc. Hunt them down, remove them and fix
them. Connections must be tested. Motors must be
tested. Buoyancy must be tested. In other words,
there’s a whole lot of testing going on. Today's class
will demand a lot of patience and teamwork. Students
will also consider manipulator arms or other devices for
taking samples under water, pictures, temperature etc.
Homework: Read pages in the ROV CONSTRUCTION MANUAL relevant to the next session and come prepared with a basic knowledge of what you will be expected to work on in class.
Level II:
By the end of this class the Sea ? should have at least been near water. How are things coming? What has worked and not worked? Has your Team come closer together or broken apart?
Welcome to the high tension world of engineering.
MAY
Level I:
Students will spend this finishing any last minute
mechanical issues, conduct water tests, adjust motor
angles for optimal thrust, maneuverability and stability.
Students will be allowed to attach and test
manipulator arms, camera mounts or whatever else
an imagination can think of their ROV doing. Students
will be supplied with water proof paint in order to
personalize their ROV's before the LAUNCH DAY
next month!
Homework: Take care of your ROV! Check and re-check all your parts and pieces and make sure you are 'good to go' on Launch Day.
Level II:
At this point your Sea ? should have been in a body of water. It would be difficult to bring a container to the site large enough and deep enough for your robot (unless you have decided that size does matter – small size). What methods can you think of to test your robot?
JUNE
Level I:
Sink or Swim Day! Practice is OVER. Students will
take their submersible ROV's and, well, submerse
them in actual water. This body of water might be a
lake or the ocean, depends on time and location, to be
determined by the class earlier. There are objects to
retrieve, pictures to take, tests to do, fun to be had!
Did you attach your emergency retrieval lines? What
goes down may not come back up.
Doesn't’ that just sink?
Level II:
So what if it doesn’t work. What have you learned? If you have been keeping a journal then you should a great deal of evidence of your successes. Rarely does something work on its first try. At least you don’t have to watch your work go up in flames or explode. It might sink, a little…you didn’t forget a tether cord, did you?
Oops…
Back to the drawing board…
