We finally went on our field trip to Nauticus, a local museum. The Nauticus currently has a changing exhibit entitled Seabots : Pilots of the Deep. This was the first step in our plan to build our own underwater remotely operated vehicle or ROV.
The Seabots : Pilots of the Deep is a travelling exhibit at Nauticus, a museum in Norfolk, Virginia.
You may be wondering just what a ROV is. It is a robot that is operated by either a person or a computer. The ROV consists primarily of a frame, a control system, a propulsion system, and a tether management system. Some underwater ROV's also contain a video camera and lights. The underwater ROV is placed in the water and is submerged to collect data. The ROV allows the operator to collect information from areas that are not always accessible to a diver. ROV's have been used for over thirty years and are currently used for a variety of purposes. Many companies and schools sponsor contests to see who can build the best ROV.
The main reason for our trip to Nauticus was to see a real live ROV. However, we were able to do more than that. The exhibit includes an operating ROV that visitors can manipulate.
The underwater ROV is part of the Seabots : Pilot of the Deep exhibit.
The students in my class were able to take turns operating the underwater ROV. Needless to say, they had a blast!!!
Individuals can operate the ROV. Look at Jasmine work the controls to maneuver the underwater ROV.
While one student operated the underwater ROV the others would provide an unknown creature for the ROV to investigate.
Antonio sees Jasmine on the monitor as he operates the underwater ROV using the control panel.
The trip to Nauticus was a huge success and the students were able to finally see what a ROV looks like and how it operates. The next step will be to construct our own underwater ROV. This is no easy task but everyone now feels that we can do it. Just look at our engineers and see if you don't agree.
Posing for a picture at the entrance to the Seabots : Pilots of the Deep exhibit are from the left : Michael, Jasmine, Sharon, Ms. Eleanor Morgan (our wonderful Support staff), and Antonio.
The boys wanted to pose alone for a picture at the entrance to the Seabots : Pilots of the Deep exhibit. They are from the left : Rashad, DeQuires, and Garon.
I will give you a play-by-play of our adventure to build our own underwater ROV. I promise it will be an interesting tale.