For Middle/High Schools

MARYLAND REGIONAL SEAPERCH CHALLENGE For Middle/High Schools APRIL 11, 2015 United States Naval Academy Hosted by the Carderock Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center and the United States Naval Academy.

Sponsored by ONR

Please join us for the SeaPerch ROV Challenge at USNA. Teams will build their kits at their sch ools and then come together for these SeaTrials with schools from across Maryland.

REGISTRATION BEGINS 8am – you must pre-register by March 5 online at http://www.usna.edu/STEM/ Additional info on schedule and logistics will be provided by email.

PRELIMINARY COMPETITION 9am-12pm TEAMS WILL BE EVALUATED ON THE FOLLOWING:  DESIGN, CONCEPTS AND TEAMWORK – teams will be asked a series of questions to determine the level of effort and understanding in these areas.  CREATIVITY AND ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS - SeaPerches will be judged on aesthetics, robustness, creativity of modifications to accomplish mission.  BASIC LAUNCH o Speed (average of time for 2 trials for a standard distance) o Maneuverability Speed to complete a submerged obstacle course that involves large rings (22" minimum diameter), oriented in any direction, through which the vehicles must travel. A possible course includes three to five -22" diameter hoops.  MATH CHALLENGE - teams will solve analytical problems related to building the SeaPerch.

THERE IS NO POSTER OR FORMAL PRESENTATION SESSION!

BASED ON RESULTS OF PRELIMINARY ROUNDS, FINALISTS WILL PROGRESS TO THE FINAL ROUND.

FINAL COMPETITION

General Rules and Information

 Only team members are allowed in the test lanes during competition.  All team members must wear close toed shoes with rubber soles to the competition.  Nothing other than the SeaPerch ROV may be put into the tanks.  Each SeaPerch ROV will perform a dry compliance check during the qualifying round and be inspected by an official prior to competition.  There will be a triage area for repairs as required.  Teams have a budget of $20.00 to modify the SeaPerch. It is the actual value of the modifications that must be $20 or less. Donated material should be assessed at what the cost would be to procure the material. The $20 limit is for costs of the materials utilized on the final competition vehicle. Reasonable spare parts are not included in this budget.  Hooks and attachments may be added/removed depending on the competition round.  Additional motors may be utilized for actuation or other non-propulsion uses.  Teams may only utilize stock SeaPerch motors in thruster. Teams may not add additional thrusters to the SeaPerch. A thruster is defined as a means of propulsion for the SeaPerch, normally but not limited to a motor and propeller assembly.  Teams will design for and utilize a 12-volt power source. Over charging or stacking batteries is not allowed. Be sure to have your 12V battery full charged and with you.  The vehicle may be worked upon by the teams during the competition  The vehicle cannot be dragged via the tether.  No dimension shall be larger than 22" (minimum obstacle diameter)

Finesse – this event will be similar to the National Competition but may n ot exactly adhere to the same dimensions and times. THIS SECTION MAY CHANGE SO CHECK BACK FOR MORE DETAILS.

The course consists of three stations in which the vehicles will have to maneuver and actuate equipment on the pool floor. The max pool depth for this event is 6 feet. A time limit will be placed on each task.

TASK 1

The first task will be a series of 5 targets that will have to be manipulated by poking the activation pad. The activation pad will need to be depressed up to 3” in order to the toggle the target. The targets will range in size and therefore difficulty. The inner diameter of the targets is as follows: 1”,1-1/2”, 2”, 2-3/8”, 3”.

The heights of the target centers will vary from 2” to 6”. Each target center is separated by 4”

TASK 2

The second task will be a series of 5 rods that will have to be lifted and placed into a series of vertical holders of different sizes.

Each rod consists of a 6” length of ½” PVC pipe with a polypropylene rope loop on one end and a small weight in the other. This design allows the rod to stand up when left freestanding in the water. The holder from which operators will have to retrieve the rings is constructed of 1” PVC pipe and will leave at least the top 2” of the rod and the entire loop exposed.

Operators will have to position the rods in one of three Vertical pipe sections with the following inner diameters: 1”, 1 ½”, 2-3/8”. More points are given for placing the rod in the smaller pipe. TASK 3

The third task will require teams to actuate a device to the side. A ladder or abacus type device will stand vertical in the water. The device is made of 1” PVC pipe with the rungs at different distances apart, starting at 3-1/2” to 7” apart. On 5 of those rungs will be a PVC collar made of 1-1/4” PVC pipe. This collar will be 2" in length. Not all rungs will have collars on them to be actuated and will serve as guard rungs for the collars. These collars will have to be slid from one side of the rung to the other in order to be placed in the brightly painted area on the rung. The direction that the collar needs to be actuated will alternate from collar to collar.

Detailed build documents are being developed and will be released as they are completed.