Robotics at the Sea Floor- A Simulation

1
Robotics at the Sea Floor-A Simulation
2

• This lesson helps students create robots that
  would complete missions at the sea floor and
  would also explore the different career paths
  available to students.
• We wanted to know how marine biologists,
  oceanographers, robotic engineers, computer
  engineers, Ichthyologists, hydrographers and
  cartographers respond to emergencies like an oil
  spill?

3

• We created robots using The Challenge Kit from
  Legos ( or you can create paper/cardboard robots
  if your teacher does not teach robotics). These
  robots will complete missions that will not only
  allow you to use programming skills but also
  explore career opportunities.

4
We used these activity cards.

• Hydrographers and Cartographers
• Hydorgraphers map the ocean floor.  The ships
  Navigator steers the ship over the ocean floor
  and the Hydrographers use a multi-beam sonar to
  see the bottom of the ocean.  Using the data
  from the Hydrographers, Cartographers will begin
  the process of updating NOAA Nautical Charts.
•  
• Mission Build a robot to travel back and forth
  over the Flower Garden Banks Sanctuary (found in
  the western part of the Gulf of Mexico near the
  Texas border) and use sonar to chart the shape of
  the coral reefs. They are very bumpy and
  irregular. (View the video from the Pisces.)
  Then draw a chart of the bottom of the ocean.

5

• Ichthyologists
•  
•  Ichthyologists study fish. There are more fish
  species than the combined total of all other
  vertebrates mammals, amphibians, reptiles and
  birds. Dr. Herbert Axelrod is probably the
  best-known Fish expert in the United States. The
  practice of ichthyology is associated with marine
  biology and fisheries science. A Reef Fish survey
  is done to monitor the health and abundance of
  reef fish so scientists can establish limits on
  how much fish the fishing industry can take out
  of the ocean.
•  
• After a scientist catches fish, he or she
  measures the fish - taking three different
  measurements of length. The Total Length (TL)
  measurement which is from the mouth of the fish
  to the longest point on the tail the Fork
  Length (FL) from the mouth of the fish to the
  indention of the tail the Standard Length (SL)
  which is from the mouth of the fish to the base
  of the tail.
•  
• Mission Create a robot using the rotation
  sensor to measure the fish caught by the Marine
  Biologists on the Pisces. Choose one of the fish
  (large construction shaped fish) caught on the
  Bandit Reel and measure it using the robot.
  Record the three lengths in number of
  rotations.
•  
• Total Length (TL)
• Fork Length (FL)
• Standard Length (SL)

6

• Computer Engineer
•  
• A Computer Engineer is vital to the scientific
  community aboard a NOAA ship. The computer
  engineer for the Pisces directs the CTD
  instrument that is lowered into the water column.
  The CTD measures conductivity, temperature, and
  depth in the water column. The CTD also measures
  the changes in salinity (salt level) and
  dissolved oxygen as it passes through the water
  column. This data is transmitted directly to a
  computer graph where a computer engineer watches
  and monitors to make sure the CTD is working
  properly and stays within 2 meters of the ocean
  floor.
•  
• Mission You are to build a CTD device and lower
  it into the water column along the coast of Cuba.
  You are to collect the water temperature of the
  water column. (The teacher will have available
  three different water temperatures that have been
  taken from the
• water column for the temperature sensor to test
• warm water represents the top of the water
  column
• cool water represents the middle of the water
  column
• and ice cold water will represent the bottom of
  the ocean
• floor.) Write a report of your findings and give
  the data of
• the temperature at the top, middle and bottom of
  the
• water column. Give temperatures in both
  Fahrenheit
• and Celcius.

7

•  Robotics Engineer
•  
• The Robotics Engineer is the person who designs
  and programs robots to go deep within the ocean
  in order to collect data for the marine
  scientists.
•  
• Mission Create Scorpion a biometric
  invertebrate robot to traverse the bottom of the
  ocean looking for shipwrecks. The Scorpion should
  have a platform on the back of it in order to
  haul back its findings. In particular, look for
  Spanish Galleons loaded with gold doubloons or
  even the F-19 planes that were lost in the
  Bermuda Triangle. If located, use the light
  sensor biometric capability to look for
  identifying characteristics. (These
  characteristics should be large black bricks near
  the wrecks so the light sensor would know to stop
  because the Scorpion has found a wreck.) Bring
  the findings/wrecks back to the platform to take
  back to the surface for further study.

8

• Marine Biologist
•  
• A Marine Biologist studies marine mammals, fish,
  and invertebrates. They often identify species
  such as the giant tortoise, marine iguanas,
  squid, and a variety of fish. A marine biologist
  also studies marine habitats.
• Mission You are to deploy the underwater video
  camera to study the fish on the coral reefs that
  are found in the Flower Garden Banks Marine
  Sanctuary (found in the western part of the Gulf
  of Mexico near the Texas border). The camera
  array has 4 sets of video cameras pointing in
  each direction. The camera arrays use lasers to
  estimate the length of the fish in the images.
  (View video of footage taken aboard Pisces to
  watch the red lasers tag fish.) This data helps
  marine biologists know the number and length of
  the fish and they can set the limit of fish that
  fishermen can catch.
•  
• Mission You are to build a camera array using a
  light sensor and use it to count the fish that
  go by at the bottom of the sea. (Fish should be
  dark colored legos that are slid past the robot.
  When the light sensor detects a black fish the
  robot should beep.) Identify these species of
  fish and send in a report of how many fish and
  what kind of fish you see.
•  (Use legos to build fish such as squid,
  whales, Mahi Mahi, dolphin, red snapper, angel
  fish, amberjack, cobia, trigger fish, sucker
  fish, etc.)
•  

9

• Navigator
• Navigators pilot the ships, crew, and scientists
  to wherever ocean research needs to be done.
  Navigators will be able to find locations on
  navigational charts and know how to steam ahead
  to various locations around the world. Our ship
  is the Pisces, a modern oceanographic research
  ship that navigates the worlds oceans.
• Mission Create a robot that will be the ship,
  Pisces. The robot ship should steer over the
  navigational charts and go to three locations.
  Leave from Pascagoula, MS, and go southeast to
  Cuba to check the temperature in the water
  column. Then go west to the Flower Garden Banks
  Marine Sanctuary to do a Reef Survey. Then steam
  east back to home port in Pascagoula, MS. Be
  careful as you navigate through the Gulf Stream
  and Loop Currents.

10
(No Transcript)
11

• Environmental Engineer
•  
• An Environmental Engineer tries to improve the
  environment (air, water, and/or land resources),
  to provide healthy water, air, and land for human
  habitation and for other organisms.
  Environmental engineers also try to remediate
  polluted sites.
•  
• Mission Build a robot to go down 5, 280 feet in
  the Gulf of Mexico to inspect the well head of
  Deepwater Horizon. This robot, called
  Tumbleweed, should do reconnaissance and
  surveillance to make sure the well is not
  leaking. Have Tumbleweed leave the ships
  surface platform and travel to the well. Circle
  the well and then return to the ship.
•  

12

• Oceanographers
•  
• The ocean encompasses about 70 of the Earth, and
  much of it is still undiscovered.  The job of the
  oceanographers will be to research the deep
  oceans using autonomous underwater vehicles and
  become shipwreck detectives. 
•  
• Mission Build a robot called Groundhog that
  will go to the bottom of the ocean to locate and
  explore 6 underground caves. Each time
  Groundhog finds a cave, he will need to beep to
  let the Robotics Engineer onboard the Pisces know
  he has found a cave. The Cartologists will then
  mark the location on the navigational charts.
  These caves are all around the Gulf of Mexico.

13
Print out this Navigational Chart to mark the
locations of the six underground caves found by
Tumbleweed.