The IET/MATE Hong
Kong Underwater Robot
Challenge 2014
Dr Robin Bradbeer
08 April 2015
Intro ROV Contest 2013
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The Marine Advanced Technology
Education (MATE) Center
A national partnership of educational
institutions and organizations working to
improve marine technical education in the U.S.
and to meet the workplace needs of America's
marine-related workforce and employers.
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The MATE ROV Competition
21 regional ROV contests that
take place across U.S. and in
Canada, Hong Kong, Scotland,
Egypt and Japan.
Student
teams from middle schools,
high schools, home schools,
community
colleges,
and
universities participate in the
events,
which
consist
of
different “classes” that vary
depending on the sophistication
of the ROVs and the mission
requirements.
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Why?
• 2/3 the planet covered by water
• We know more about the surface of the moon than
the surface of the earth
• 60% of the world’s biomass is under the oceans
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Objectives of the contest
• Increase the awareness and visibility of marine
technical fields, educational and career
opportunities, and potential employers.
• Help students develop the skills necessary to enter
careers in technical fields. These skills include the
ability to problem solve, think critically, troubleshoot,
communicate effectively, and manage projects
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Objectives of the contest
• To enhance the awareness of teachers and students
to marine conservation and the oceans’ effects on
our planet and our lives.
• To provide a platform for design and technology
students to partake in a practical design exercise
with observable objectives.
• Increase students’ understanding of the role that
ROVs play in modern ocean engineering and
environmental applications.
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MATE Competition Philosophy
The MATE ROV competition is about student learning.
It is designed to be an event that challenges students
to apply the physics, math, electronics, and engineering
skills they are learning in the classroom to solving
problems from the marine workplace. Mentors
(teachers, parents, working professionals) are expected
to limit their input to educational and inspirational
roles and encouraged to focus on the benefits of the
learning process and not simply on “winning” the
competition.
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The Contest classes
Three ‘classes’ of entry:
Explorer
for university, college and high
school
Ranger
for middle and high school
Navigator
For junior high school
Scout
for elementary/primary school
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The missions – from 2006
•
2006
•
2007
•
2008
•
2009
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Ocean Observing Systems: Tools
for Tomorrow's Science & Technology
Workforce (NASA, Houston)
Celebrating the International Polar Year:
Science & Technology Under the Ice (St
Johns, Newfoundland)
Diving to the Deep: Uncovering the
Mysteries of Mid-Ocean Ridges
(Scripps UCSD, San Diego)
ROVs: The Next Generation of
Submarine Rescue Vehicles (MMAA,
Massachusetts)
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The missions – from 2006
•
2010
•
2011
•
2012
•
2013
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ROVs in Treacherous Terrain:
Science Erupts on Loihi, Hawaii’s
Undersea Volcano (Hilo, Hawaii)
ROVs: rescuing the oceans; oil spills
and other environmental disasters
NASA, Houston)
Evaluating World War II shipwrecks and
the potentially hazardous material that
they may still contain. (Miami, Florida)
Ocean Observing Systems: Transforming Ocean
Research and Launching a New Era of Discovery in
the Oceans. (Tacoma, Washington)
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Scoring
The competition consists of underwater missions, technical
reports, engineering presentations, poster displays, and
safety with the following scoring breakdown:
• Mission - 300 points (max), plus a time bonus
• Engineering & Communication - 250 points (max)
• Technical reports - 100 points (max)
• Engineering evaluations - 100 points (max)
• Poster displays - 50 points (max)
• Safety - 30 points (max)
TOTAL POINTS = 580
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And for 2014
Exploring the Great Lakes: Shipwrecks,
Sinkholes, and Conservation
There is a need for remotely operated vehicles that can:
1) explore, document, and identify an unknown
shipwreck recently discovered in sanctuary waters;
2) collect microbial samples and measure the
conductivity of the groundwater emerging from a
sinkhole; and
3) remove trash and debris from the shipwreck and
surrounding area.
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2014 missions
RANGER class companies will compete in ONE mission
that consists of the following distinct tasks:
Task #1: SHIPWRECKS
Explore, document, and identify an unknown
shipwreck recently discovered in sanctuary waters.
Task #2: SCIENCE
Collect microbial samples, measure the conductivity
of the groundwater emerging from a sinkhole,
deploy a sensor, and estimate the number of zebra
mussels found on the wreck.
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2014 missions
Task #3: CONSERVATION
Remove trash and debris from the shipwreck and
surrounding area.
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Missions in detail - shipwreck
•
•
•
•
•
•
Measure the shipwreck’s length, width, and depth
Conduct a sonar scan of the wreck
Unlock and open a container to determine the cargo
Remove debris from a hole in the wreck
Enter the wreck through this 60 cm x 60 cm hole
Search for the date the ship was built on an internal
beam
• Retrieve a ceramic dinner plate from inside the ship
to determine its home port
• Identify the ship using known parameters
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Missions in detail - science
•
•
•
•
Measure the conductivity of the groundwater
Collect a sample of a microbial mat
Recover a sensor and deploy a new one
Place a quadrat on the top surface of the shipwreck,
count the number of zebra mussels inside the
quadrat, and estimate the total number of zebra
mussels on the shipwreck using the wreck’s
dimensions
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Missions in detail - conservation
• Remove bottles and discarded anchor lines
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RANGER mission photo #1:
The starboard side of shipwreck with cargo
container, paddlewheel and rope debris over the
60 cm x 60 cm opening.
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RANGER mission photo #2:
The stern of shipwreck with the propeller, microbial
mat, conductivity samples and the sensor string in
the designated area.
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RANGER mission photo #3:
The port side of the shipwreck with three scan
targets and the mast head visible on the top of the
shipwreck.
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RANGER mission photo #4:
The bow of the shipwreck with the plastic water
bottle and the simulated glass bottle.
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Hong Kong Workshops
9 November 2013
30 November/
7 December 2013
18, 25 January 2014
Mid-February (tbc)
12-13 April 2014 (tbc)
26-28 June 2014
08 April 2015
Contest briefing
Basic ROV workshops
Advanced workshops
Mission and project planning
HK Contest
International Finals, MI, USA
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Registration Fees for 2014
Basic ROV Workshop (Includes Basic ROV)
• FREE for first school team
• HK$800 for second school team
Advanced Electronics Workshop (Includes camera
and other electronics)
• FREE for first school team
• HK$300 for second school team
Registration Fee for Hong Kong Contest
• HK$500 each team
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The IET/MATE HK ROV kit
• Based around 16mm pvc tubing
• Uses 3 bilge pump motors with impellors removed
and replaced with propellers
• Uses two cistern floats for buoyancy
• 3 5m lengths of speaker wire to get power to motors
• 3 sprung mid-position dpdt switches to control
motor direction
• No soldering necessary
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The ROV kit
The motors.
The frame.
Wire (umbilical)
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The floats
The control box
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The ROV kit
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The ROV workshops
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The Advanced Workshops
The Advanced Workshops will introduce the
concepts of waterproofing and using electronics
underwater. Students will be taken through the
basics of motor control, will build and
underwater camera and be shown basic sensor
design.
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Mission and project planning
The Mission and Project Planning Workshop will
introduce the concepts of complex project
planning.
It will also discuss the contest missions and how
they may be achieved.
This workshop will be led by engineering
professionals from major HK utilities.
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The Hong Kong finals
(2010)
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The World finals (2006/11)
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More information can be found at:
www.rovcontest.hk
MATE ROVer information
Email: info@rovcontest.hk
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