Celebrations and high fives! The robot is finally WORKING! We have had a few minor problems to sort out, but after re-soldering the wires and replacing the DVD player (apparently there was a problem with the original - so while it is out for repair, we have borrowed another so our work can continue!) we have reached success! We are thrilled! Tomorrow we apply the "waterproofing" - I always hesitate to use that word - and perform the "bucket test"! This is when we will submerge the robot into a large bucket of water, test for any immediate problems, and begin adjusting the buoyancy of the robot.
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The control box after we "cleaned it up" a bit!
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Maddie stands with the robot - in WORKING condition!
We will have more to share after the first water test! In the mean time, the robot group wanted to answer a request that came through in the "Ask the Team" forum. The request was for students to share their thoughts about building a robot that will be used in Antarctica. Here is their response:
"We're all excited to be a part of this project because we've been learning about Ms. Ellwood's adventures in Antarctica since elementary school. To answer your question, we're all very excited that our ROV will be used in Antarctica, and we're really hoping that it successfully completes its job. So far, we've run into a few minor problems but other than that things have gone pretty smoothly. The majority of the team has never actually "built a robot" so this is a new experience for us all. When we get our ROV (a.k.a. SCUBA Dooba Doo) in the water, we all want to document its maiden voyage and you can definitely expect (if all goes as planned) videos to be posted. We've already started picking out the background music!"
So stay tuned - there is much more yet to come!