AA Background Information

The Situation

The oceans are a foreign world not well known to humans and are a world in which humans are not well adapted to. This underwater world provides many challenges to humans looking to conduct research or solve certain problems such as retrieving lost items or looking for oil. These challenges include temperature, depth and pressure, current, surface conditions and many more. With the onset of newer more reliable technologies, underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROV’s) can now go places no human has ever gone. Conventional human divers usually do not surpass 400 meters underwater; however, ROV’s normally dive anywhere between 3,000 to 5,000 meters underwater. ROV’s come in a variety of shapes, sizes and are outfitted with varying pieces of equipment depending on the environment and the task at hand. 

Figure 1: Chart displaying the huge amounts of water pressure at 10 meter intervals.  (Taking it Underwater 2012 [graphic])

Figure 2: ROV Hercules approaches to research the Titanic which is over two and a half miles underwater, too deep for any diver to reach (ROV Hercules 2005 [photograph])

Figure 3: A ROV recording video of hydrocarbon and oil leaking out of a pipe from a BP oil rig,  depth too great for divers. (BP 2010 [photograph])

Figure 4: ROV Little Hercules aiding deep sea research by providing light on a never before mapped area of the ocean. (NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program 2010 [photograph])

Figure 5: ROV arm taking samples at ocean bottom (Lophelia II 2008 [photograph])

The People

       A large variety of different people around the world use ROV's for multiple different purposes. These people include scientists, engineers, ship and oil rig inspectors, biologists, petrol engineers and historians. Each person has a unique purpose for their ROV, which means each ROV has a different task and purpose. ROV's can perform such tasks like inspecting ships and oil rigs, collecting samples from the ocean, finding and picking up lost parts or tools, or even performing simple tasks like plugging a hole. Each different task an ROV can perform means another person has a use for the ROV. 

Figure 6: ROV drivers and scientists gather around monitors to examine ROV cameras and data being collected (Brian Cousin 2013 [photograph])

Figure 7: ROV performing an inspection around a ship's hull (Subsea Tech [photograph])

Figure 8: ROV being lowered into the water from an oil platform to perform an inspection (Cal Dive 2011 [photograph])

Figure 9: A marine surveyor and ROV technician get ready to lower a ROV into the ocean (Hickerson 2013 [photograph])

Figure 10: Team of ROV technicians watch monitors for signs of fish on sonar or other instruments (Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary 2006 [photograph])

The Simulation

       In reality, ROV's perform numerous different tasks such as retrieving lost items, conducting research, making routine inspections and taking samples of marine organisms. As technology expands so too does the thirst for knowledge and the curiosity of our world. With the expanding need for more advanced ROV's and ROV engineers and technicians, many contest have sprouted in order to promote ROV research and development. Many amateur high school contest have become increasingly popular too. The SeaPerch Deep Water Challenge is a new challenge many students undertake. The Deep Water Challenge imitates the jobs a ROV must perform in the real world today. Students must design and build their own ROV, then they must pick up rings from a rack that sits at the bottom of a pool and drop those rings into another basket. This function resembles picking up lost parts or tools off the sea bottom. However, each team member is responsible for his/her own part of the project. The ROV can be broken into three major components; frame and propulsion, the mechanical arm, and electronics and cameras. Each member does his/her research and comes up with alternate solutions. The team convenes and a final solution is decided upon. 

Figure 11: SeaPerch logo (AUVSI Foundation 2013 [graphic])

Figure 12: Ringstand used for SeaPerch Deep Water Challenge (AUVSI Foundation 2013 [graphic])

Figure 13: A team competing in the SeaPerch Deep Water Challenge, picking up rings (Chris Hansen 2012 [photograph])

Figure 14: A team's ROV attempting to pick up a ring from the ring stand during competition (Stuart Williams 2013 [photograph])

Figure 15: A team's ROV carries a ring from the ring stand to a bin for placement (Nathan Blackford 2013 [photograph])

Figure 16: Neptune Aquatic Center

Figure 17: Neptune Aquatic Center

Figure 18: Neptune Aquatic Center

The Stakeholders

       The design team for an ROV is broken into different areas. Our design team is broken into three categories; frame and propulsion, the mechanical arm, and electronics and cameras. Each member of the team is another stakeholder for the other. The stakeholder for propulsion and frame is the mechanical arm. The frame must be able to accommodate and fit the mechanical arm or else the project must start over. Additionally, the mechanical arm and propulsion and frame are also stakeholders for the electronics and camera team member. The electronics team member must be able to properly integrate the entire system electronically. But, the stakeholders considered must also be real life ROV operators and engineers. The challenge mimics real life scenarios, so in turn the ROV and its maneuverability should also mimic and appeal to real world investors or interested clients. 

Figure 19: Robotic arm capable of being mounted onto a ROV, frame should be designed to fit arm (Kraft Telerobotics [photograph])

Figure 20: A US naval officer oversees the performance of a SeaPerch ROV. Over the years, military research and development have become interested in ROV development, challenges and competitions (U.S. Navy [photograph])

Figure 21: The Office of Naval Research which is supported both by the US Navy and US Marine Corps also helps sponsor the SeaPerch challenge which shows their general interest (AUVSI Foundation 2013 [photograph])

Figure 22: Shown above are scientists watching a demo of a new ROV, scientists almost always have a need for ROV's to explore and investigate what they cannot go and see (NOAA Ocean Explorer: Lophelia II 2008 [photograph])

Figure 23: A set of cameras in which the frame of the ROV must be designed to fit and mount the cameras (The Sexton Company 2004 [photograph])

The Mood

        The mood of almost any underwater submersible or robot tends to be scholarly, mechanical, scientific and slightly adventurous. Often times, when looking at a ROV for the very first time people's imagination tend to drift toward exploration and sometimes Star Wars. Onlookers also tend to attain the sense of mechanical complexity or awe just because of the sheer amount of mechanical engineering. The reason for all these moods is because of a ROV's mechanical nature and its technological complexity. However, this technology allows the ROV to dive depths where no human has ever gone. This constant mission depth also allows for a sense of adventure and maybe thrill. 

Figure 24: Some ROV's can be small but others can be quite large, the ROV PHOCA is packed with sensors and high grade technology, it brings a mood of technology and deep sea adventure (Maike Nicolai 2011 [photograph])

Figure 25: Russ Schwenkler's depiction of his futuristic ROV brings a sense of technological advancement and exploration through the use of trying to make the ROV look less robotic and more animated (Russ Schwinkler [graphic])

Other Projects

       Although the ROV may be one of the leading faces of underwater expiration and mission assignment. There are numerous other alternatives and products that are able to perform the same tasks as a ROV. Some other products that can perform like the ROV are autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV's), submersibles and variable tracked vehicles. All of which are able to go underwater and perform most if not all of the tasks a ROV can handle. 

Figure 26: Variable tracked vehicle, able to go underwater on tracks and perform a given task (RecceRobotics [photograph])

Figure 27: Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) underneath the Antarctic ice, able to perform most tasks of the ROV but not all such as picking up objects (Donnie Reid 2013 [graphic])

Figure 28: The NOAA Clelia which is now retired and on display (NOAA 2013 [photograph])

Summary

       Robots and autonomous vehicles have always been able to travel into areas where humans could not. Conditions such as pressure, temperature, surface conditions, current and available energy prevent humans from entering the depths of the oceans. The pressure is too great for human divers, the temperature is too extreme for humans after a certain amount of time, surface conditions can prevent boats from idling over extensive period of time and humans are not strong swimmers. Scientists and engineers alike would like to stay beneath the water as long as possible but the human body simply cannot permit that. ROV's solve this problem since they are autonomous robots which can withstand huge amounts of pressure, temperature and time as long as their equipment and batteries withstand the elements. Without any mechanical or human errors during performance, most tasks and research assignments can easily be completed through the use of ROV's. 

The SeaPerch Deep Water Challenge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMTM88N_17I

Works Cited

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.AUVSI Foundation. Deep Water Rubric. Digital image. Seaperch.org. AUVSI Foundation, 2013. Web. 13 Sept. 2013. http://www.seaperch.org/challenge_rules.

AUVSI Foundation. SeaPerch. Digital image. Seaperch.org. AUVSI Foundation, 2013. Web. 5 Sept. 2013. <http://www.seaperch.org/index>.

Blackford, Nathan. "SeaPerch: Students Competed against Each Other at Mount Vernon Junior High with Underwater Robots They'd Built Themselves." Evansville Courier & Press. Courier Press, 7 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. <http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/feb/07/underwaterlessons/>.

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Cousin, Brian. ROV Team. Digital image. NOAA.gov. NOAA, 26 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.<http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/13pulleyridge/logs/ august26/ media/rov_lab.html>.

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