Robotics students take a dive into the world of aquatic robotics during their Sea Perch challenge. Sea Perch is a program originally sponsored by the US Navy in which students design, build, and drive autonomous underwater vehicles. Students were challenged to compete against each other in three events: speed race, an underwater obstacle course, and ring collection. Students were provided a set of parts that they used to design the frame for their robot. They also built the frame, learned how to waterproof, attached motors, wired the robots, and built a control box.
“This challenge helped students gain skills in simple wiring and soldering, motor placement, buoyancy, and learning the differences between underwater motion and land motion,” explains Robotics teacher Margaret Kelliher.