THE ROV CHALLENGE
What is an ROV?
 ROV =
Remotely
Operated
Vehicle
 Unoccupied, remote
controlled submersible
vehicle
 Used in deep and
shallow underwater
applications
What parts does an ROV have?
 Body/Chassis
 Umbilical
Umbilical
 Carries power, control
signals, video feeds, and
data.
 Arms/manipulators
 Navigation Equipment
 Sonar
 Cameras
 Lights
 Sample Collection systems
ROV
Control box
Battery
Our Arctic is Opening Up
 The Arctic is facing major
challenges as the ice melts
 More shipping and oil and
gas exploration are
happening
 An oil spill in the arctic
would be a huge disaster
 Many plants and animals
would be harmed
http://www.protectthe-arctic.com/
What is it like in the Arctic?
 Remote
 Dark
 Extreme weather
 Shallow water
http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2010/
 Ice covered water
 Ice can be unpredictable
 Freezing conditions
http://www.polarfield.com/blog
http://www.arcticscience.org/whyStudy.php
Oil Exploration
During a recent exploratory oil drilling mission the
Black Gold Oil Company (BGOC) successfully
located an offshore, ice-covered oil reserve and
started extracting.
Then…
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck and part of the
pumping equipment separated under the ice.
BGOC has contracted your
company to build an ROV
1) Perform a scouting mission to search for pools of
oil trapped under the ice
2) Take a sample from a pool of oil under the ice
3) Return the sample to an analyzing station
4) Transport a piece of surface equipment
5) Respond to the open water spill in the polynya and
remove oil from the surface
Materials
 Structure- A variety of PVC joints and lengths
of pipe (3, 4, 6, & 12 inch).
 Zip Ties and Electrical Tape for attaching motors,
floats, and ballast.
 Motor Unit- Includes a control box, umbilical
cable, and 3 bilge pump motors.
 Shears for cutting floats, zip ties, and tape.
 DO NOT cut your PVC Pipe!
Materials
The Challenges
 Task 1 – Perform scouting mission to search for
pools of oil trapped under the ice.
 Drive ROV back and forth 20 feet out and back.
 Task 2 – Take a sample from a pool of oil in the ice.
 Surface ROV inside a large floating ring and hold position for 5
seconds.
 Task 3 – Return sample and have it analyzed.
 Position ROV in front of an underwater square
 Hold position for 5 seconds
The Challenges
 Task 4 – Transport floating equipment
 Engage a beach ball floating in the pool
 Return the beach ball to the side of the pool
 Task 5 – Respond to a surface oil patch in a polynya
 Use ROV to gather floating ping pong balls and return to poolside
 Task 6 – Deliver equipment to an underwater work station
 Fly ROV back and forth through a large stationary underwater ring
 Pick up a small underwater ring.
 Deposit the small ring on a piece of anchored PVC pipe.
Challenge Diagram
Operation
 You will be by the pool – you are not to go in the
pool!
 Keep batteries away from water
 Do not drop control box in water
 The ROV Operator holds the control box while the
Tether Manager controls the tether.
 The Operator will pass the control box to the Tether
Manager when his/her turn is up.
 The next person in line becomes the Tether Manager.
Teamwork Points
 All team members participate in design, build,
and break down ROV.
 All team members drive ROV during challenge.
 Team members give each other positive
encouragement.
 Team members observe and obey all safety rules.
Possible Demerits
 Team member bickers, argues, or acts with
disrespect.
 Pool-side structural modification after challenges
have begun.
 Team pulls tether to move ROV.
 Use of pool “seal” after challenges have begun.
Structure
 Think of what the ROV must do to accomplish the
tasks
 Bigger ≠ Better
 Distribute weight evenly
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2
179/1519760291_a9bcb213a6.jp
g?v=0
Purpose
 What are the specific tasks of the challenge?
 Where in the water column does your ROV
need to operate (at the surface or down in the
water?
 What shapes/attachments/tools does your ROV
need to accomplish the tasks?
Collect and retrieve
objects floating at
the surface.
‘Fly’ through large
rings suspended
underwater.
Collect a small ring
and deposit it on an
arm.
Motor Placement
 Attach motors with zip ties
 The propellers should not be able to hit a wall or floor
 Motors must be underwater when the ROV is at the
surface
 Up/down motor is best placed as close to the center of the
ROV as possible
 Side motors can be placed at front, middle or back of
ROV
 Test motors so you know which way they spin before
attaching them to the frame
 Up/down motor is best placed as close to the
center of the ROV as possible.
 Side motors can be placed at front, middle or
back of ROV.
 Test motors so you know which way they spin
before attaching them to the frame.
Buoyancy
 Attach floatation with zip ties
 The top of the ROV should float level just at the
surface
 Think of where your weight is
You want floatation over the weight
 Balance floatation so ROV doesn’t tilt side to
side or point up/down
 You can attach ballast (additional weight) if
needed

Let’s Build an ROV!
Control
Box
Float
Motors
Float
RO
V
Ballast
REMEMBER!
 DO NOT…
 Share or modify parts of your kit.
 Go in the pool.
 Get batteries or control box wet.
 DO…
 Show good sportsmanship.
 Learn something.
 Have fun!