SeaPerch ROV Wet Test at Grainville School | Engineering Challenge

Kettering's engineering program successfully completed its first annual Sea Perch ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) challenge, where students designed, built, and tested underwater robots to complete three tasks: collecting ducks from the surface, retrieving diving rings from the pool bottom, and navigating through the pool. The event emphasized teamwork, hands-on learning, and practical engineering skills including creating control boards, waterproofing motors, and designing robots, demonstrating how extracurricular engineering competitions can enhance student learning beyond traditional classroom settings.

SeaPerch is a STEM robotics program where youth teams build underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to complete challenges. The program is purely engineering-based with no coding, teaching practical skills like soldering and pipe fitting. Teams need a SeaPerch kit (free with training attendance), build manual (free PDF online), and basic tools including soldering irons, desoldering pumps, clamp-on vices, PVC cutters, wire strippers, nut drivers, pliers, screwdrivers, and a digital multimeter. Practice space can include cow troughs, large trash cans, portable pools at least 5 feet long, or community pools. The 2026 competition is held March 7th at Crawfish Aquatics in Baton Rouge with the 'storm response' theme. Stock classes are Middle School (grades 8 and below) and High School (grades 9+), with mixed-age teams converting to the higher class. Both classes allow modifications up to $25 including 3D printed parts, but no machining or 3D printing of frame parts. The limit is three thrusters per ROV. Registration is $35 per team, closing February 16th. The Technical Design Report (TDR) is crucial for scoring, with page limits that teams must follow. The team interview is a 5-minute session where every team member must speak. The pool competition consists of two components: the obstacle course and mission course, which together form a single lane. Teams have 20 minutes total to complete both courses. The obstacle course requires navigating through five hoops in random order, starting and ending at the surface vehicle, with 4 minutes per attempt and a second attempt allowed. The mission course involves completing tasks on two platforms with a maximum of 8 minutes. Task 1 (Bridge Inspection) involves retrieving and attaching a red marker float (4 points), sliding a pipe cover over a bridge section (2 points partial, 10 points full), and releasing a green float marker (4 points). Task 2 (Dam Survey) involves removing a red marker plug and placing it in a green hole in the dam (4 points removal, 12 points placement), plus closing a floodgate by rotating a piece of red corrugated polypropylene (8 points). Task 3 (Debris Field Clearing) is particularly challenging because standard SeaPerch ROVs cannot lift the heavy debris without variable ballast. Teams can adjust ballast during a run by removing the ROV from the water. Subtask 3.1 requires removing marine life from the back platform (4 points) and placing it on the front platform (8 points). Subtask 3.2 requires removing heavy submerged debris and hooking it to the surface vehicle (6 points removal, 20 points hooking). Task 4 (Water Quality Sampling) involves using a two-piece pipe device to sample water (4 points removal, 8 points placement).

The SeaPerch Challenge is a Navy-sponsored competition where students design, build, and operate underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to learn engineering principles through hands-on experience with robotics, science, mathematics, and technology.

Six high school students from Woodbridge School successfully conducted a field test of their SeaPerch underwater remotely controlled vehicles (ROVs), deploying them from the Woodbridge Jetty to obtain live video feeds despite challenging conditions including wild storms and murky water, demonstrating that ROVs can operate effectively in real-world underwater environments to observe marine features and wildlife.

Engineers select materials based on their properties—mechanical properties like strength and flexibility, and electrical properties like conductivity—to design effective ROVs. Buoyancy, governed by Archimedes' principle, determines whether an object floats or sinks: objects less dense than water experience positive buoyancy and float, while denser objects experience negative buoyancy and sink. The center of gravity (where mass is concentrated) and center of buoyancy (center of displaced water) determine stability, with lower centers of gravity providing greater stability. Ballasting—adding weight—helps achieve neutral buoyancy and prevents excessive buoyancy that would require more energy to submerge or cause the ROV to capsize.

Microcontrollers, particularly PIC devices, are essential components in ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) systems used for deep-sea oil and gas exploration, handling critical functions such as audio intercommunication, video multiplexing, and serial signal processing; these systems integrate multiple technologies including hydraulics, mechanics, high-voltage electricity, and advanced electronics, with microcontrollers serving as the intelligent control core that enables autonomous operation at depths of 4000 meters where human divers cannot safely operate.

While Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are currently preferred for initial development due to their tethered power supply and continuous real-time data transmission capabilities, the long-term roadmap includes transitioning to Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). AUVs offer greater operational flexibility without tethers but face challenges including limited communication bandwidth and reduced real-time data availability. The transition strategy prioritizes developing robust autonomous algorithms first on ROVs, then gradually migrating these capabilities to AUVs as the technology matures and communication constraints become better managed.

Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are controlled via tethered cables and can transmit high-resolution images (6K-8K) in real-time while moving at approximately 1 mile per hour. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) operate independently but cover ground more slowly. Both types have limited visibility ranges of only 10-15 meters due to light limitations.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) periodically make their own decisions about navigation and actions, while Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) maintain constant human control via tether or virtual connection. Although ROVs have human operators, there is growing interest in providing autonomy even for ROVs to handle mundane joystick tasks during long missions, reducing operator fatigue.

Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are tethered to ships via cables that provide electricity and communications, allowing pilots on board to control them and perform sampling and video operations. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) operate independently without tethers. Falkor's ROV Sebastian can reach 4,500 meters depth with two robotic arms that can be adapted with different tools for various scientific tasks, including delicate sampling and core sediment collection from the ocean floor.

The SeaPerch Challenge is a Navy-sponsored competition where students design, build, and operate underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to learn engineering principles through hands-on experience with robotics, science, mathematics, and technology.

A new mission used a small robot submarine (ROV) that never left its cable to the surface. The ROV was built with a steel and alloy frame, thrusters for multi-directional movement, and cameras in clear domes. Every opening was sealed with thick rings and bolts, and every penetration point was pressure tested. The ROV could live in pressure that would crush a battle tank, slip through gaps only a few feet wide, and send clean pictures back to the surface.

The SeaPerch challenge is a Navy-sponsored program where students design and build underwater ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles). ROVs are used by the Navy for tasks that are dull, dirty, or dangerous—anything impractical for humans to perform. Students learn to operate their vehicles through cables and compete to see who performs best. The program serves as an entry point for students of all ages, providing hands-on engineering experiences that may not be available in regular academic curricula.

Six high school students from Woodbridge School successfully conducted a field test of their SeaPerch underwater remotely controlled vehicles (ROVs), deploying them from the Woodbridge Jetty to obtain live video feeds despite challenging conditions including wild storms and murky water, demonstrating that ROVs can operate effectively in real-world underwater environments to observe marine features and wildlife.

SeaPerch is a Navy-sponsored underwater robotics program where high school students design, build, and compete with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), learning fundamental STEM principles through hands-on engineering challenges that involve understanding buoyancy, thrust, and underwater physics while fostering teamwork and innovation.