EQUIPMENT
With a fiberglass hull , the 10-foot sub weighs 130 pounds out of water and about 1,400 pounds fully flooded . Depending on the propulsion method , the subs usually max out at about 4 knots , or roughly 4.5 miles an hour . Squeezed inside are motor boxes , a drive train with foot pedals , waterproofed electronics for steering ( using a Wii joystick !) and the foreboding “ deadman switch ” that releases a buoy and escape hatch for emergencies .
TEAM HIGHLIGHT
In 2000 , their sub named “ Subsonic ” broke the world speed record for a one-person non-propeller submarine — 3.47 knots .
EVOLUTION
Students spend nine months designing and building the sub , and have especially excelled in the non-propeller category . They ’ ve experimented with the side-to-side motion of a tuna tail , and the up-and-down motion of a dolphin — which earned the “ Most Unusual Design ” award in 2018 . Their next goal is to develop autonomous steering , so the submarine can control its own pitch , leaving the pilot to focus on pedaling .
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
Alexander Westra , former team president : “ Ensuring knowledge gets passed down to new generations of submariners . It ’ s easy for the knowledge of what works and what doesn ' t to disappear as members graduate . We combat this by keeping record of significant events and placing a huge emphasis on teaching new members everything we know .”
WHAT I ' VE LEARNED
“ Shortcuts are often detrimental . Overly ambitious deadlines lead to rushed production that sometimes needs to be completely redone . Being meticulous and doing it the right way often takes longer , but at least you don ’ t have to do it twice !”
Undersea Autonomy
The newest student org to venture underwater is Triton RoboSub , with their debut submersible , Ra ( a nod to the Sun God statue ). Ra is a stout 35 pounds of waterproofed wires , circuits , motors and cameras . It can steer and wayfind itself to designated spots through an objectdetection algorithm .
At their first international competition last year , the Triton team made it to the semifinals and are now aiming for the top three this year . “ We ’ re also tripling our team size ,” says the team ’ s inaugural president , Patrick Paxson . “ We want to expose students to the many opportunities and challenges in underwater robotics .”
... and a Concrete Canoe ?
Sounds impossible , but for 17 years , Tritons have designed concrete canoes that not only float , but take four rowers through slalom and sprint races . The 20-foot long , 260-pound canoe is both lightweight and structurally sound . How so ? “ We use Styrofoam and expanded glass aggregates in our concrete , not sand or rock ,” says Eden Wong , the group ’ s past president .
The team competes in a new canoe each year — in 2017 , the team came in fourth out of 18 entrants , and they rode their 2018 canoe , “ Cosmos ,” into second place overall . Only one place to go from there !
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