Our second-term Skills Club kicked off on February 4th at SW Junior High in the Maker Space. Over the next few months, students will be building and testing underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). This term’s project is inspired by the MIT Sea Beaver and SeaPerch programs, giving students a hands-on introduction to underwater robotics and engineering.

Our first step is designing a submersible chassis for each vehicle. Students will wire motors and attach a variety of propulsion options — including 3D-printed propellers, wheels, and water wheels — to their designs. We may even explore using pumps for propulsion. Once assembled, achieving neutral buoyancy will be a key challenge, ensuring the vehicles can submerge and maneuver rather than sink like anchors.

The next phase will be connecting each vehicle to the “shore” using a tethered cable linked to a custom control box with toggle switches for the different thrusters. If testing in the Maker Space and water tubs goes well, we’re hoping to take the ROVs to a larger body of water for a real-world test this spring. Fingers crossed!