News

High school students take part in the 1st Annual Underwater ROV Competition.

Three high school teams from WPSD took part in the NTID Regional STEM Center (NRSC) 1st Annual Underwater ROV Competition. The big event was hosted by the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in Connecticut.  Our Lions arrived at ASD and went straight to work at the pool, practicing strategies and honing their robot maneuverability skills.  Our students made a very impressive showing! In fact, Team ‘Baby Sharks’ took FIRST place in the obstacle run!

The students have been working relentlessly for months. They used PVC pipes to construct their robots. The motors are found inside the thrusters, which did not arrive waterproofed.   Consquently, each team had to waterproof the thrusters by using the wax from toilet bowl seal and electrical tape. The teams also developed their own controllers – soldering each piece.  The students used sections of pool noodles, strapping them to the robots as a flotation component of sorts.  They also drilled holes in the robot to help it sink under water.

There are two courses or missions each team had to work to complete. The first mission was an obstacle course – each team has to maneuver their robot through several rings, and back again, under water. The second mission consists of the teams manipulating the robots to transport tools and batteries to different locations within the course. If the robot got stuck, divers would be on hand to free them, but the team would incur penalties.

What a great opportunity and experience for our students!  We are #wpsdproud!