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A team of Rodney College students will compete in the national AquaBot Competition in Rotorua next month after finishing second in the regional finals in Auckland.
At stake is a chance to represent New Zealand at the International Sea Perch competition in the United States next year, hosted by NASA.
The Rodney team, led by captain William Clapham, includes Reef Brown, Thomas Tameris, Peter Sundvick, Bhavya Sharma and Azariah Hare. All are Year 11 students.
This is the first time Rodney College has fielded a team so the students, along with coach Sean Kingsley, are proud of their performance so far. Not that it has been all plain sailing.
“During the regional finals, the propellers fell off and the glue kept breaking,” Clapham says. “We definitely learned a lot from that first competition and have been working on improvements.”
All teams in the competition receive the same kitset, which includes motors, batteries and propellers, and instructions on how to set up a basic model. It is then up to the individual teams to use their skills and imagination to make modifications that cost no more than $20, which they hope will make their craft faster and more manoeuvrable under water.
The remote-controlled aquabots have to complete two challenges in the pool, which includes an obstacle course and a surprise event, and the team has to make an oral presentation. The theme of the competition changes each year, with this year’s challenges focused on the practical applications of underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) on aquaculture.
The Rodney team has spent all their spare time over recent months designing, modifying and testing their entry, and this will continue during their current study leave, ahead of the national final on December 4.
“There are limits on how much you can change the design,” Clapham says. “One of the hardest things we’re finding is getting the buoyancy to balance ratio right. There’s a lot of trial and error and a lot of calculations to be done. The rules are a little vague, which I think is done on purpose.”
NZAquaBots is an initiative of the Ministry of Inspiration to help students learn engineering concepts and hone skills in problem solving, teamwork, scientific communication and technical applications.
Building the aquabot teaches basic skills in design and encourages students to explore naval architecture and marine and ocean engineering principles. It also teaches basic science, electrical concepts, tool safety and technical procedures.
Clapham gave a shout out to Warkworth Butchery and the top Wellsford Four Square for their support of a fundraising sausage sizzle that will be held at the Wellsford Night Market, at the community centre, on November 11.
The students also thanked engineering teacher Nicholas Gedye, digital technology teacher Debbie Anderson, head of science Oliver Trottier and their coach Sean Kingsley for their encouragement and support.
To watch an aquabot in action, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=658fdMjtpd
Set to sizzle
The aquabot team will hold a sausage sizzle at the Wellsford Night Market, at the Wellsford Community Centre, on November 11. Money raised will help them attend the national aquabot finals in Rotorua.
If any business or individual would like to support the team, they can contact Sean Kingsley at sean.kingsley@rodneycollege.school.nz or phone the school on 423 6030.
