Seaperch Competition

INTERNATIONAL SEAPERCH COMPETITION

SeaPerch is an innovative underwater robotics program that equips teachers and students with the resources they need to build an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) in an in-school or out-of-school setting.

International SeaPerch Ocean Exploration Challenge 2023

   Ocean explorers use innovative technologies to fill gaps in our basic understanding of how we impact the ocean and how the ocean impacts us. This knowledge helps us to protect ocean health, sustainably manage our marine resources, accelerate our national economy, better understand our changing environment, and enhance our appreciation of the importance of the ocean in our everyday lives. The 2023 International SeaPerch Challenge was inspired by these technologies.

    This Year our team decided to build a whole new R.O.V. for the competition. We ran a series of tests and made several prototypes until we settled on an optimal design for this year's ocean exploration courses. After finishing and painting the R.O.V. we decided to name this year's bot Mingo, because of its bright colors making it look like a flamingo! 

    After being accepted into the International Competition via wildcard, we placed 16th place for the Obstacle Course, 9th place for the Tech Report, 7th place for the Mission Course and 5th place Overall! (Out of roughly 70 Teams)

International SeaPerch Space Exploration Challenge 2022

  The International Space Station (ISS) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Mission is a simulation of the tasks and environment that an ROV might encounter while assisting astronauts on an EVA outside the ISS. During the competition teams were tasked with upgrading the ISS’s battery system and moving tools for astronauts (Figure below). The grasping tool for our current ROV is modeled after a scissor. Taking up a line on the wheel closes the grasping arms, and reversing the motor unwinds the line opening the arms.

   This year has been quite the string of problems. The biggest challenge was perfecting our motors and buoyancy. Since the Regional Competition was canceled, we applied for the International Competition via a Wild Card and were excited to be accepted. After competing on June 4th, 2022, the team placed 7th place Overall, and 4th place for the Mission Course. (Out of roughly 60 Teams)

International SeaPerch Waterway Cleanup Challenge 2021

While preparing for our first ever competition, We learned many useful skills such as using power tools, solder, buoyancy laws, and basic engineering principles. We used these skills to build our ROV for the 2021 Waterway Cleanup Challenge. We had to complete a mission course that was comprised of several tasks such as picking up sunken and floating debris and transferring it to a specific spot. We also turned in a technical report and participated in team interviews. In the end, all our hard work paid off, when we received 3rd place in the Mission Course and 5th place for Team Interviews. Sadly we didn't do as well as we hoped we would in the Tech Report, only getting 16th place. Only around 40 teams participated in this year's competition.

Overall, we had a fantastic time, and are proud of our accomplishments given the fact that this was our first year in SeaPerch.