WaterBoticsWaterBotics

Teaching Science and Engineering Concepts Using LEGO® Underwater

Robots

Jason Sayres, Adam ScribnerThe Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education

Stevens Institute of Technology

What is WaterBotics?What is WaterBotics?• LEGOTM MINDSTORMS robotics in underwater

environment

• Approximately 20-hour curriculum aimed at middle and high school classes as well as summer camps and after-school activities

• Primarily funded by NSF Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Program

– Award #0929674: Build IT Underwater Robotics Scale-Up for STEM Learning and Workforce Development (BISU)

PartnersPartners• Stevens Institute of Technology

– Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE)– Development of curriculum– Primary training and support

• League for Innovation in the Community College– Selection and support of community college partners to target formal educational

environments (i.e. schools)– Year one selection: Sinclair Community College

• National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP)– Selection and support of informal education programs, especially those aiming to engage

girls– Year one selection: Texas Girls Collaborative Project

• International Technology and Engineering Education Association (ITEEA)– Development and dissemination of a hybrid professional development program built around

WaterBotics curriculum

Why Underwater Robotics?Why Underwater Robotics?

• Presents unique, complex design challenges (e.g., buoyancy, control in 3-D)

• Exposure to concepts like propulsion, drag, buoyancy and stability, gearing, torque, speed, and thrust

• Awareness of careers that involve the types of skills developed in the project

Why LEGOs?Why LEGOs?

• Familiarity (in some cases)• Ease of use and durability• Variety of pieces• Rapid prototyping, testing, redesign

– “Tweak friendly”

• Fewer components required to create start-up kit

Project ChallengeProject Challenge

Using LEGO and related components, create an underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) that will be able to

pick up weighted wiffle balls and deposit them in a bin.

Task 1 – Straight Line ChallengeTask 1 – Straight Line Challenge• Use a single motor to build a

vehicle that can travel the diameter of the pool on the surface as quickly as possible.

• Optimize gearing to achieve best propeller speed.

Task 2 – Figure Eight ChallengeTask 2 – Figure Eight Challenge• Use a second motor to enable

steering.• Maneuver on surface to

complete a slalom course around two buoys in shortest time.

Task 3 – Vertical ChallengeTask 3 – Vertical Challenge• Use a third motor and other

materials to control the vehicle's buoyancy in order to descend and rise vertically in water.

• Maneuver through the same slalom course as in the previous challenge, except this time underwater.

Task 4 – Final ChallengeTask 4 – Final Challenge• Produce a vehicle which can

retrieve the greatest number of objects from the bottom of the pool within a specified period.

• Objects must be deposited in bins at various depths in the water to score points.

• A fourth motor may be used to come up with some way to grab and release the balls.

The NXT and ProgrammingThe NXT and Programming

Key Concepts, SkillsKey Concepts, SkillsBuoyancy Stability

Newton’s Laws Propulsion

Gear Ratios Inertia

Forces Torque

Volume Density

Programming Troubleshooting

Iterative Design Team Building

Research: Study 1Research: Study 1

Professional Development Fidelity• Is the program delivered with equal fidelity in different

environments?

• If not, what are the differences between trainers and also between formal and informal teachers/staff and what accounts for them?

• If the curriculum is altered, what is altered and why?

• Are there critical components of either the PD or the curriculum without which the intended outcomes cannot be achieved?

Research: Study 2Research: Study 2

Student Impact• Is the curriculum as effective in a wider range of settings

as in the setting in which it was originally tested?• Are student outcomes similar regardless of the teaching

environment (formal vs. informal)?• If they differ, what are the differences and what accounts

for them?

Research: Study 3Research: Study 3

Scale-Up and Sustainability• To what extent does/did each hub partner implement the

Build IT model?• What is the correlation between the levels of success of

hub partners in meeting the project’s overarching goal and their fidelity to the BISU model?

• What adaptations, adoptions, partnerships, and/or collaborations resulted from implementation of the project?

Research: Study 3Research: Study 3

Scale-Up and Sustainability (cont.)• To what extent did hub sites become self-sustaining by

their fourth year in the project?• How and to what extent did hubs develop a local funding

base? • What capacity-building activities occurred to enable

project sustainability?• To what extent did hub sites scale up or expand the

Build IT program?

Training ModelTraining Model

Current Hub SitesCurrent Hub SitesFormal Sites•Ohio – Sinclair Community College•Illinois – Triton College

Informal Sites•Texas – Texas Girls Collaborative Project•Washington – Pacific Northwest Girls Collaborative Project•Kentucky – Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative

Hub Site ActivitiesHub Site Activities• Summer camp for students

• Training institute for local educators

Educator SupportEducator Support• Hub site staff

– Visits to schools– Email and phone availability– Optional follow-up professional development

• Website– Course management– Interactive FAQs– Curriculum updates

• Optional Webcasts

Training at ITEEATraining at ITEEANew, Hybrid Training Model•Previous trainings took up to two weeks•Hybrid consists of:

• One intense, face-to-face session• 4 online sessions• Support in the form of extra materials, a discussion

area, and live webcasts• Debuted on Wednesday this week

•Another session next year

ChallengesChallenges• Pool setup and finding alternatives• Ensuring that educators will be able to handle technical

issues• Fitting the project into a class• Finding an optimal room configuration• Costs of materials• Ensuring sustainability

For More InformationFor More Information• Website: http://waterbotics.org

Upcoming Training Sessions: http://waterbotics.org/training

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/WaterBotics/162559767125257

• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/waterbotics

• Email: Jason.Sayres@stevens.edu, Adam.Scribner@stevens.edu