Local teen trio AMNO & CO return to international underwater-robotics competition

Next weekend, local teens Alex Miller, Nicholas Orndorff, and Clara Orndorff will be participating in international underwater-robotics (ROV) competition for the second consecutive year. We brought you their story last year. Writing a report and getting it published counts in the competition too; we are pleased to share their 2013 update:

Recently the AMNO & CO ROV Team qualified to compete in the 2013 Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center’s International ROV Competition for students. A Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, is a tethered robot used to complete tasks in underwater environments.

AMNO & CO was the second-place winner in the Pacific Northwest Regional, which was held on May 11th. AMNO & CO accomplished this using an ROV they designed and built over the past year. At the International ROV Competition, which will be held June 20-22 at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, AMNO & CO will compete against more than thirty of the top teams from MATE’s 22 regional competitions around the world, including competitions in the US, the UK, China, Egypt, Canada, and Hong Kong.

Each year, the MATE ROV competition encourages students to learn and apply science, technology, engineering, and math skills to the competition tasks that simulate real-world problems from the ocean workplace. This year, the contest focuses on the role that ROVs play in installing and maintaining a system of underwater sensors and other equipment.

This system of equipment is known as the Regional Scale Node, or RSN, which consists of a primary node that can then deliver power to a series of sensors that are connected to it. These sensors include an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, or ADCP, that measures the velocity of the ocean’s currents, and an Ocean Bottom Seismometer, or OBS, which collects data about seismic activity on the ocean floor. Currently this system is being installed off the western coast of the United States. This array of sensors will provide new and useful data about the ocean, including data about climate change and its properties and consequences, which will be useful to our understanding of the world.

Teams will participate in mission tasks, piloting their ROV to deploy and install simulated versions of the actual sensors being used. To do this, not only must ROVs be able to transport the sensors correctly, they must also be able to open and close hatches, turn locks, and connect power cables. In addition to the simulated sensors, teams must also create their own temperature sensors that can take measurements from a simulated hydrothermal vent (a vent on the ocean floor that emits hot water). In addition, teams must prepare a technical report describing their ROV, make a presentation to a panel of judges, and create a poster display.

This is the fourth year that AMNO & CO has participated in the Pacific Northwest Regional ROV Contest, and the second year they will be attending the MATE International ROV Competition. The team members are Alex Miller, Nicholas Orndorff, and Clara Orndorff.

The AMNO & CO ROV team is supported by local sponsors including West Marine, Fisheries Supply, and Harris Electric. The team practiced at the Shoreline Pool and fundraised over the summer near Alki Beach. Their fundraising covered a large portion of the cost of their ROV.

For more information about the AMNO & CO ROV team, please contact them at amnoandco@live.com, or visit their Facebook page facebook.com/AMNOandCoROV. For more information about the MATE ROV competition, visit marinetech.org/rov-competition.

We wish AMNO & CO the best of luck in next weekend’s competition!

4 Replies to "Local teen trio AMNO & CO return to international underwater-robotics competition"

  • rosalie miller June 16, 2013 (12:14 pm)

    Way to go, Alex and team. We are so proud of you.
    R, T & L

  • Mr. X June 16, 2013 (2:09 pm)

    Great story. Alex, Nicholas and Clara clearly have extremely bright futures. Good luck at the competition guys.

  • Nicholas June 17, 2013 (11:39 am)

    Best of luck at international competition!!!!

  • Ms. G June 19, 2013 (11:06 am)

    Great work everyone! This is amazing! Can’t wait to see the robot in action on Friday at the international competition!

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