Power Restrictions:
The ROV power must come from team supplied batteries. Console, pilot monitors and such pool side equipment can use venue supplied 120v AC GFI protected power.
(Teams need to supply power strip, if needed)
There is a power limit of 1700 watts direct current (DC) for the ROV. In addition, no ROV system may use more than 56 volts (nominally a 48 volt system). No ROV may draw more than 120 amps. There must be an appropriate sized fuse or circuit breaker that will insure the 1700 watt limit.
The size of the circuit protection will depend upon the voltage of the system. A 12 volt system powered by fresh batteries, may, in reality, be a 13.7 volt system.
Using the power formula, Power= voltage * amps will determine the maximum current.
1700w= 13.7v * amps; amps = 1700w/13.7v; 124 amps.
Since 120 is the legal limit, a 120 amp breaker should be used.
Using the same formulas, a 36 volt system may charge to 40 volts, thus 1700w/40 = 42.5 amps. A 40 amp breaker would be used to insure the system does not exceed 1700 watts.
Once the main breaker is determined, it is advisable, but not required, that ROV subsystems are fused to protect your ROV.
If an independent subsystem power supply is used (e.g. four 12v 3 amp underwater flashlight with their own batteries),
The (4 * 12 * 3) 144 watts must be deducted from the 1700 watt total. If more than one ROV is deployed, the total power budget is 1700 watts.
Judges will be concerned that the gage of wires are appropriate for the current, that there are no exposed wires nor other safety issues during inspection and during the competition.
If there are any power limit questions, please contact the event personnel for clarification. See attached chart.
ROV Dimensions:
There are no restrictions on the size and weight of ROV. The mission props may provide you with guidance on what might be appropriate dimensions for this mission.
Number of ROV’s per team:
There is no limit to the number of ROV’s a team may use in the competition, however, the total power of all of the ROV’s combined must not exceed the 1700 watt limit with all the ROV’s combined.
Number of people per team:
There is no limit to the number of people who can be on a team, but, only students may participate in the underwater mission and the oral presentation. Private corporations without students are exempt from this rule, but will be scored in the Pro division.
Number of teams per school:
There is no limit to the number of teams allowed from each school.
Components:
This competition is designed to strengthen problem solving skills and encourage learning in systems integration. Use of off the shelf, plug and play systems is allowed. That is, while, an ROV cannot be bought and used off the shelf, separate ROV components can. Each team must design and build its ROV, integrating a series of components into a ROV system. A team may chose to design and build components or find components that fit its needs from any commercial vendor. A team must be able to explain all the functions of the ROV and all of its components. Use of a component without a general understanding of the component’s fundamental theory of operation could result point deductions during the oral presentation.
Price Limit:
There is no limit to the amount of money that may be spent on the ROV. Functionality is of primary importance and cost effectiveness is secondary. Higher scoring may, however, result if a capable ROV is built for less money. A detailed itemized price list that includes donated items and lists vendors is required for each team’s ROV system.
Website:
Each team is encouraged to have a website which documents and showcases the team’s participation and learning through all phases of ROV construction. The teams that have websites will get 20 points that contributes to their overall scores and teams that do not maintain a website will not get the 20 points. Students and audience will judge websites during the competition for a special website award. Team websites will be listed and linked through the event website as they become available.
The competition will be broadcast on the world wide web with live, video and audio stream. All video footage will be archived and available through the event website after the competition.
Video Feed:
Each team must have a live video feed available to show the video from the ROV to the public in the viewing room and the world wide web via the live stream. This connection must be a female RCA connector. The event staff will connect to this feed.
Audio Feed:
Each team is encouraged to have a live audio feed available. They will be connected with female RCA Jacks as well. A 5 point bonus will be awarded if audio is present.
Team ROV video Footage:
Each team will be able to pick up a DVD of its mission after completing the mission. This video will contain angles of the mission as recorded from the various vantage points in the pool, as well as the video feed from the ROV itself. Teams may use this footage to showcase their ROV’s performance and promote the event.
Oral Presentation:
Each teams will have 15 minutes to make a presentation to a panel of judges explaining the design, construction and operation of its ROV. All teams must have their ROV and surface support systems present during the presentation and only the students team members may present to the judges (with the exception of corporations, unless they have students). Teams may bring any additional props they like to aid in the presentation, but they must provide these on their own behalf. A table and screen will be provided, computers and projectors are the responsibility of each team, and may be used optionally. There is no limit to the number of team members who may participate, but non-presenters must remain outside the room. Each presentation will be broadcast outside of the presentation room on a closed circuit TV for the non-presenting team members and the general public to see. Video footage of each presentation will be burned to DVD and each team will be receive a copy of its presentation for its records. This video footage will also be archived on the event website, for teams that sign a waiver, so that future teams may watch and learn from them.
The total presentation time allotted for each team is 30 minutes, allowing for a 2.5 minute set up, 15 minute presentation, 10 minute question and answer period, and a 2.5 minute breakdown. The oral presentation is worth a total of 50 points.
Technical Report:
Each team must submit one week prior to the event a technical report documenting the design, construction and operation of the ROV in order to conduct the mission. This report must be submitted via e-mail in PDF format. Confirmation of the submission of the technical report will be in the form of an email verifying the date and time of the submission. The report may be written by any member of the team. Each team may decide how many people participate in writing the technical report, but it is highly advisable that the authors of the report also participate in the oral presentation, as the presentation judges will use this report as a reference. The technical report may not exceed 25 pages in length and must use 12pt Times New Roman font. It must include a title page with the school name, team name, school location, photo of the ROV, list of team members, and list of authors for the technical report. The report must include a table of contents, headings for each section, a list of references. An abstract, no longer than 250 words, must immediately follow the table of contents. The intention of the report is to communicate understanding, learning and experience gained through the stages of ROV development and testing. Sample headings might include “Mission Strategy”, “Design Revisions”, “Techniques learned”, and “preliminary Results”. Incorporate graphs and photos and other visual enhancements if so desired. Several sample reports are available on the event website for reference. Once all the teams have submitted their technical reports, these reports will be posted on the website and made accessible to all teams and the general public. The technical report is worth a total of 50 points.
Technical Inspection:
Before any team will be allowed to participate in the competition, its ROV must pass a technical inspection. The ROV will be evaluated for safety and the removal or modification of exposed sharp edges, electrical hazards, and mechanical pinch points. Each team must demonstrate its ROV can be readily turned off. It will only pass inspection if it deemed safe to operate in the water. Keep this in mind when designing and building the ROV. During the inspection each team must also present a schematic of the ROV system , and identify appropriate fuses. Each team must demonstrate to the extent possible, all functions of the ROV. Teams must show that the ROV is the within the 1700 watt limit, and must present the female RCA type video connector to the inspectors so that they may test the live video feed. The audio feed will also be tested at this time, but a lack of functioning audio will not prevent a team from competing. If a team’s ROV fails the technical inspection, the team may make modifications to the ROV and repeat the inspection until either the ROV complies with safety regulations and competition rules or the inspection period expires.
Measurements:
All measurements will be in SI (metric) units. .
Mission Scoring: Maximum points is 160
1. Retrieve without detonating the two surviving armed torpedoes to the surface where they will be disposed of in a detonation chamber.
* 5 points for locating each torpedo
*15 points for bringing each torpedo safely to the surface
*If either torpedo is accidentally detonated the mission is over and the team retains points acquired up to that point.
2. Retrieve any artifact that will help identify any crew member.
* 5 points for locating each artifact ( there are 4)
* 5 points for bringing each artifact to the surface
3. Locating the sonic pinger used to mark the location of the Sub and deciphering the message.
*5 points for locating the pinger
*10 points for deciphering the secret message that is being pinged in Morse code
4. Retrieve the submarine’s military identification plaque to verify for the identity of the
submarine
*10 points for locating and reading the identification tag
*15 points for bringing the tag to the surface
5. Measure the depth of the top of the blast opening that sank the sub.
*10 points for measuring within 10 cm
*5 points for measuring between 10 –20 cm
6. Measure the temperature of the volcanic vent that the submarine landed on when it sank.
*5 points for locating the volcanic vent
*10 points for measuring within 5 degrees C
*5 points for measuring between 5 to 10 degrees C
7. Place a commemorative plaque on the deck next to the blast opening.
*15 points
Mission Details:
Set Up: Teams will be pre-staged in a designated area and the team captain will notify the staging crew of the team’s arrival. When the team is given the signal to begin its mission, the team will have five minutes to set up in the mission control area. The set up timer will stop once the team captain declares its completion and all members are idle. The team will receive a one point penalty for every five seconds spent in set beyond the 5 minute set up period. This delay will also cut into the total mission time.
Mission: Each team will have thirty minutes to complete the mission. The mission timer will begin exactly five minutes after the team is given the start signal. The team captain can end the mission at any time. A team that ends the mission in under thirty minutes will get one point for every minute under thirty minutes. Any team that completes, (finish all the tasks with full points for everything), the mission in under thirty minutes will receive two bonus points for every minute remaining under the thirty minutes.
Break down: Each team will have five minutes to break down their equipment and leave the mission control area. The team will receive a one point penalty for every five seconds spent in break down beyond the five minute break down period.
Details on Props: Scale drawings of mission props can be seen and down loaded on the SketchUp Models Of Mission Props link on the left in the menu. You must download a copy of the google SketchUp program and install it before attempting to view the models. The link for that is also on the left menu.
1. Retrieve without detonating the two surviving armed torpedoes to the surface where they will be disposed of in a detonation chamber.
There are two live torpedoes lying portside on the bow . They look as if they fell out after the submarine settled on the bottom. The dimensions are 5' or 1.524 meters long and 6" in or 15.24 centimeters in diameter. It is 42.5 N in air. Detonation will be indicated by flashing green LEDs located in the frame of the torpedo. Each team will be given a two TRDs, torpedo recovery devices. These will be neutrally buoyant. They will have a carbineer that will self lock onto the U-bolt on the torpedoes. The teams must use their ROV to attach the TRD and then activate the inflation switch which will then inflate a lift bag to ascend the torpedo to the surface. The TRD will have a rope attached to it that the ROV team can then use to pull the torpedo toward them so they can remove the torpedo from the water.
2. Retrieve any artifact that will help identify any crew member.
These items must be determined to the ROV team during the mission. There will be four of them.
3. Locate the sonic pinger used to mark the location of the Sub and decipher the coded message. You will be given a Morse code sheet to decipher the message
4. Retrieve the submarine’s military identification plaque to verify the identity of the sub.
The identification plaque is located on the starboard side of the submarine near the bow. It is near the entry way of the hatch, where a gaseous volcanic vent is protruding into the submarine directly in front of the military identification plaque. The dimensions are 5.08 cm x 5.08 cm x .635cm
The mass is (TBA)
5. Measure the depth of the top of the blast opening that sank the sub.
There will be a white marker on the submarine on the stern end of the submarine port side. It will be located near the top of the blast opening. It is this white marker’s depth that is the desired goal of the depth measurement.
6. Measure the temperature of the gassing volcanic vent that the submarine landed on when it sank.
Because the gassing vent is in front of the identification plaque, it is necessary to measure the temperature of the vent to determine if it is not hot enough to melt or damage an ROV that might pass through it. The other issue is that since it is a gas that is escaping, the ROV also needs to able to not collect or hold gasses as it passes over the venting gas to get to the identification plaque.
8. Place a commemorative plaque on the deck next to the blast opening.
There will be a red area marked off on the submarine hull next to the blast opening. It will be a red area marked in a square. . The commemorative plaque should be placed in the red marked off area. As long the plaque is completely inside the red area, it will result in getting the score for it. The dimensions are 30.48 cm x 30.48 cm x .635 cm. Mass (TBA)
Meet and Greet:
Teams will have a pit area in which to work on their robot and set up a display or exhibit for the public to see when they come to see the teams. This setup can be anything the team wishes it to be. Each Team must have, at all times that the pit is open, a person or group of people who’s job it is to meet and greet anybody that come by to see the pit and the team. Their job is basically to act as the team’s public relations officer, where they are to explain to the public how their team works and answer any questions about their ROV that might be asked. This whole part of the competition is informal although, there will be judges in the crowd who will watch how teams interact with the public when they are approached. Enthusiasm and interest in explaining about their team and ROV will be judged according to a simple rubric. Media personal may also be present and how teams interact with them will also be scrutinized. The jist of this part of the competition is to share all your knowledge and enthusiasm with the people who come to visit, as well as the other teams who are present. Teams may wish to make hand outs, pass out “freebies” and so on. Posters and video clips may also be used to showcase the team. The total points possible is 20 points. A rubric of this will be made available before the competition.
Team Intro Video:
Each team must submit a 2 minute video showcasing their ROV and its features. This does not have to be a “super slick” production. It can be very informal. No special effects or complicated video editing needed. The purpose for the video is that before each team competes in their mission, the video will be shown to the audience in the viewing area. Each Team’s video will precede the live video footage of their ROV completing the mission. The video must be as close as possible to two minutes with no more than a few seconds to spare either way. Teams will receive points for their submission of the video. If it is submitted, a team will get their 20 points. Teams must submit the video during check in on Friday, no exceptions!
Total Points:
Mission =160
Meet & Greet =20
Technical Report =50
Oral Presentation =50
Website =20
Team Intro Video =20
Total Points =320
Penalties:
Points will be deducted for the following reasons:
*5 points for pulling the ROV by the tether for each incident, pulling the ROV all the way to the surface would be one incident or pulling the ROV to free it from an entanglement and proceeding with the mission would also be an incident.
*1 point for every five seconds spent in set beyond the 5 minute set up period.
*1 point for every five seconds spent in break down beyond the five minute break down period.
*5 Points for being unable to bring the ROV back to the surface without diver assistance
*5 Points for disturbing any human remains, respect for the dead must be maintained
*5 Points for damaging any mission props.
*5 Points for tether man communicating ROV position to ROV pilot.
Contact Info:
Event Website: www.h2orobots.org
Mission Designer & Rules, Scoring
Faridodin “Fredi” Lajvardi
coachfredi@hotmail.com
Rules, Scoring and Mission Props
Dr. Karen Suhm
Mission Props and Mission Staging
Jerry Little
Power Limitations and Regulations
Dr. Allan Cameron
n7ujj@cox.net
Event Site Management & Video Production and Video Stream
Sam Alexander
Public Relations
Marcos Garcia-Acosta
Public Relations and Funding
Shawna Fletcher
Head Tech Inspector
Scott Todd
Head Referee
Ian Lao
Event Master of Ceremonies
Don Knight