ABOUT THE PROJECT:

Instead of the mainstream 2.007 track, in which I would have built a robot to the specs of a competition, I participated in the Underwater Systems Special Section, in which I could gain more real-life experience. The section focused on building underwater autonomous systems. The first half of the semester was dedicated to an individual project. 

 

The Underwater Airplane was not only the first underwater robot, but the first robot I had ever built. The purpose of this individual project was to create an ROV robot, build a circuit for a motor and controller, gain a better understanding of how objects move in water, execute my own creative design, and most importantly learn from the strengths and weaknesses to prepare for the final group project in the second half of the semester.

 

The primary material was foam pvc and the pieces were waterjettered. I designed the plane to be neutrally buoyant by finding the pvc's specific density and calculating the necessary amount of pvc needed to counter the weight of the motors, camera, and cable. The slits on the top fin, increase drag, but significantly decreases forces when moving side-to-side .

 

Also at the presentation of the project, students could drive their robots into rings called "quaffles," 1-foot by 1-foot diamond shaped rings weighed down by bottles of sand. These quaffles could then be moved over to the other side of the net.

 

I designed the underwater airplane to be able to dart into the quaffles. The back is wider than the quaffle and thus held the quaffle in place. The underwater live  camera and turn lights on the back  motors were other unique features.

 

ABOUT THE COURSE

"Develops students' competence and self-confidence as design engineers. Emphasis on the creative design process bolstered by application of physical laws. Instruction on how to complete projects on schedule and within budget. Robustness and manufacturability are emphasized. Subject relies on active learning via a major design-and-build project. Lecture topics include idea generation, estimation, concept selection, visual thinking, computer-aided design (CAD), mechanism design, machine elements, basic electronics, technical communication, and ethics. 

E. Moriarty, D. Frey"

- MIT Subject Listing & Schedule