Robotics
at the
Sea FloorA Simulation
This lesson helps students create robots
that would complete missions at the sea
floor and would also explore the different
career paths available to students.
We wanted to know how marine biologists,
oceanographers, robotic engineers,
computer engineers, Ichthyologists,
hydrographers and cartographers respond
to emergencies like an oil spill?
We created robots using The
Challenge Kit from Legos (
or you can create
paper/cardboard robots if
your teacher does not teach
robotics). These robots will
complete missions that will
not only allow you to use
programming skills but also
explore career
opportunities.
We used these activity cards.
• Hydrographers and Cartographers
• Hydorgraphers map the ocean floor. The ship’s Navigator steers
the ship over the ocean floor and the Hydrographers use a multibeam sonar to “see” the bottom of the ocean. Using the data from
the Hydrographers, Cartographers will begin the process of
updating NOAA Nautical Charts.
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• Mission: Build a robot to travel back and forth over the Flower
Garden Banks Sanctuary (found in the western part of the Gulf of
Mexico near the Texas border) and use sonar to chart the shape of
the coral reefs. They are very bumpy and irregular. (View the video
from the Pisces.) Then draw a chart of the bottom of the ocean.
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Ichthyologists
Ichthyologists study fish. There are more fish species than the combined total of all
other vertebrates: mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds. Dr. Herbert Axelrod is
probably the best-known Fish expert in the United States. The practice of ichthyology is
associated with marine biology and fisheries science. A Reef Fish survey is done to
monitor the health and abundance of reef fish so scientists can establish limits on how
much fish the fishing industry can take out of the ocean.
After a scientist catches fish, he or she measures the fish - taking three different
measurements of length. The Total Length (TL) measurement which is from the mouth
of the fish to the longest point on the tail; the Fork Length (FL) from the mouth of the
fish to the indention of the tail; the Standard Length (SL) which is from the mouth of
the fish to the base of the tail.
Mission: Create a robot using the rotation sensor to measure the fish caught by the
Marine Biologists on the Pisces. Choose one of the fish (large construction shaped fish)
“caught” on the Bandit Reel and measure it using the robot. Record the three lengths
in “number of rotations”.
Total Length (TL)
Fork Length (FL)
Standard Length (SL)
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Computer Engineer
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A Computer Engineer is vital to the scientific community aboard a NOAA ship. The
computer engineer for the Pisces directs the CTD instrument that is lowered into
the water column. The CTD measures conductivity, temperature, and depth in the
water column. The CTD also measures the changes in salinity (salt level) and
dissolved oxygen as it passes through the water column. This data is transmitted
directly to a computer graph where a computer engineer watches and monitors to
make sure the CTD is working properly and stays within 2 meters of the ocean
floor.
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Mission: You are to build a CTD device and lower it into the water column along
the coast of Cuba. You are to collect the water temperature of the water column.
(The teacher will have available three different water temperatures that have been
“taken” from the
water column for the temperature sensor to test:
warm water represents the top of the water column;
cool water represents the middle of the water column;
and ice cold water will represent the bottom of the ocean
floor.) Write a report of your findings and give the data of
the temperature at the top, middle and bottom of the
water column. Give temperatures in both Fahrenheit
and Celcius.
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Robotics Engineer
• The Robotics Engineer is the person who designs and programs
robots to go deep within the ocean in order to collect data for the
marine scientists.
• Mission: Create “Scorpion” – a biometric invertebrate robot to
traverse the bottom of the ocean looking for shipwrecks. The
Scorpion should have a platform on the back of it in order to haul
back its findings. In particular, look for Spanish Galleons loaded with
gold doubloons or even the F-19 planes that were lost in the
Bermuda Triangle. If located, use the light sensor biometric
capability to look for identifying characteristics. (These
characteristics should be large black bricks near the wrecks so the
light sensor would know to stop because the Scorpion has found a
wreck.) Bring the findings/wrecks back to the platform to take
back to the surface for further study.
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Marine Biologist
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A Marine Biologist studies marine mammals, fish, and invertebrates. They often
identify species such as the giant tortoise, marine iguanas, squid, and a variety of fish.
A marine biologist also studies marine habitats.
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Mission: You are to deploy the underwater video camera to study the fish on the
coral reefs that are found in the Flower Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary (found in the
western part of the Gulf of Mexico near the Texas border). The camera array has 4
sets of video cameras pointing in each direction. The camera arrays use lasers to
estimate the length of the fish in the images. (View video of footage taken aboard
Pisces to watch the red lasers “tag” fish.) This data helps marine biologists know the
number and length of the fish and they can set the limit of fish that fishermen can
catch.
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Mission: You are to build a camera array using a light sensor and use it to count the
“fish” that go by at the bottom of the sea. (Fish should be dark colored legos that are
slid past the robot. When the light sensor detects a black “fish” the robot should
beep.) Identify these species of fish and send in a report of how many fish and what
kind of fish you see.
(Use legos to “build” fish such as squid, whales, Mahi Mahi, dolphin, red snapper, angel
fish, amberjack, cobia, trigger fish, sucker fish, etc.)
• Navigator
• Navigators pilot the ships, crew, and scientists to wherever ocean
research needs to be done. Navigators will be able to find locations
on navigational charts and know how to steam ahead to various
locations around the world. Our ship is the Pisces, a modern
oceanographic research ship that navigates the world’s oceans.
• Mission: Create a robot that will be the ship, Pisces. The robot ship
should steer over the navigational charts and go to three locations.
Leave from Pascagoula, MS, and go southeast to Cuba to check the
temperature in the water column. Then go west to the Flower
Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary to do a Reef Survey. Then steam
east back to home port in Pascagoula, MS. Be careful as you
navigate through the Gulf Stream and Loop Currents.
• Environmental Engineer
• An Environmental Engineer tries to improve the
environment (air, water, and/or land resources), to
provide healthy water, air, and land for human
habitation and for other organisms. Environmental
engineers also try to remediate polluted sites.
• Mission: Build a robot to go down 5, 280 feet in the
Gulf of Mexico to inspect the well head of Deepwater
Horizon. This robot, called “Tumbleweed,” should do
reconnaissance and surveillance to make sure the well
is not leaking. Have “Tumbleweed” leave the ship’s
surface platform and travel to the well. Circle the well
and then return to the ship.
• Oceanographers
• The ocean encompasses about 70% of the Earth, and
much of it is still undiscovered. The job of the
oceanographers will be to research the deep oceans
using autonomous underwater vehicles and become
shipwreck detectives.
• Mission: Build a robot called “Groundhog” that will go
to the bottom of the ocean to locate and explore 6
underground caves. Each time “Groundhog” finds a
cave, he will need to beep to let the Robotics Engineer
onboard the Pisces know he has found a cave. The
Cartologists will then mark the location on the
navigational charts. These caves are all around the
Gulf of Mexico.
Print out this Navigational Chart to “mark” the
locations of the six underground caves found by
Tumbleweed.