Different from many land-based robotics programs, WaterBotics® is an innovative, underwater robotic program where teams collaborate to design, build, program, test and redesign underwater robots, made with LEGO® and other components.
Teams use LEGO® materials that are familiar, have ease of use and durability, come in a variety of pieces, and are tweak friendly. Teams will learn about the Engineering Design Process (EDP); a format that engineers use to make life easier by creating and improving how things work.
Teams will learn the 5 steps of The Engineering Design Process (EDP)
1. Identify the Problem
2. Research and Brainstorm
3. Design and Build
4. Test and Evaluate
5. Redesign
To ensure that students do not become daunted by building a complex robot right from the start, the curriculum is divided into a series of four “bite-sized” missions that gradually lead to the production of a fully functional robot. Each mission is a rescue scenario which builds upon the previous one so that designing and building are constantly happening.
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Session A - Mission 1: Rescue! Use a single motor to build a robot that can travel in a straight line—both forward and backward—on the surface of the water and save a drowning swimmer. Optimize gearing to improve speed and/or control.
Program Fee: $140
Session B - Mission 2: Cleanup! Use a second motor to enable steering and two-dimensional movement. Maneuver the robot on the surface of the water to clean up a spill of hazardous pollutants. (Pre-requisite completion Session A)
Program Fee: $140
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Session C - Mission 3: Sweep! Use a third motor to dive under the water. Combine high-density and low-density materials to achieve good buoyancy and stability, making the robot controllable underwater. Detonate or disable underwater “mines” to make a shipping lane safe. (Pre-requisite completion Sessions A & B)
Program Fee: $140
Session D - Mission 4: Collect! Combine the products of previous missions to produce a vehicle that can collect samples from a sunken ship and deposit them in various underwater collection bins. A fourth motor may be used to create a mechanism to grab and release the balls. (Pre-requisite completion Sessions A - C)
Program Fee: $140
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Independent Exploration! With the purchase of the WaterBotics® ROV Kit, students design and build robots independently. (Pre-requisite completion Sessions A - D)
Program Fee: $80