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Martin Knecht
Physical Science, Chemistry, and Engineering Dept.
South Texas-Coastal Bend STEM Coalition Meeting
September 30, 2011
What is Waterbotics? Underwater robotics curriculum
Design, build, test, redesign underwater ‘bots’.
Provides hands on experience for middle and high school age students Engineering design
Use of technology
Introduce science concepts
Expose students to
engineering careers
Uses NTX and LEGO Mindstorms Easy but flexible construction
Exposes students to computer programming concepts
Curriculum Source Curriculum developed by the Center for Innovation in
Engineering & Science Education (CIESE).
The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) leads in the dissemination and training of the Waterbotics curriculum in Texas.
Efforts funded through NSF grants.
www.waterbotics.org
Goals Increase interest and awareness in engineering careers.
Expose students to creative design process.
Introduce basic science concepts.
Show that engineering is FUN and appeals to a wide variety of interests.
Participation Ideal for girls and boys 12 – 18
years of age.
Curriculum can be tailored for any background level.
Flexible curriculum
Week long camp
After school program
Integrated into existing science curriculum
25 – 30 hours in total.
Summer 2011 Participants Rising high school sophomores
Over half of students were female
Recruited from STC’s early college high school
One week intensive summer camp
Materials and Setup Main equipment
LEGO MINDSTORMS sets (5) NTX software (site licenses) 8' x 30" Inflatable Pool Model propellers Laptop Computers
Setup 5 workstations (4 students per) Common gathering area Mobile computer lab Pool test area
Waterbotics kit available thru LEGO Education for around $3400
Approx. $200 in other materials
Training and Staffing Staffing
Camp facilitator: Martin Knecht
Recruitment and logistical support: Lupe Chavez
5 college student mentors
Training
Week-long training of facilitator at beginning of Spring 2011 semester.
Camp setup and student mentor training week prior to the camp.
Missions Camp split into four missions of
increasing complexity
Each mission is built upon the previous mission
Integrates the design cycle
Missions Each mission requires the
students to...
Design and construct the waterbot
Design a controller
Create a program
Mission 1 – Straight Line Challenge Use a single motor to build a vehicle that can travel on
the water surface as quickly as possible.
Optimize gearing to achieve the best propeller speed.
Mission 2 – Figure 8 Challenge Use a second motor to enable steering and two-
dimensional movement
Maneuver on the surface of the water through a slalom course around two buoys in the shortest time.
Mission 3 - Vertical Challenge Use a third motor to control 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
Try to complete the course in the shortest possible time while avoiding touching either the surface or bottom.
Mission 4 – Final Challenge Combine the products of previous challenges to produce a
vehicle which can retrieve the greatest number of wiffle balls from the bottom of the pool within a specified period
Balls must be deposited in various bins to score points
Fourth motor may be used to come up with some way to grab and release the balls.
Educational Concepts Science
Simple Machines
Buoyancy
Stability
Forces
Engineering
Iterative design
Interface design
Gearing
Technology
Icon-based programming
Flow diagrams
Control structures(Loops & Switches)
Sensors & Motors
Troubleshooting
Future Plans Offer multiple week-long camps
during the summer.
Potential as after school program.
Open to students Valley wide.
Seek out funding opportunities to support expansion.
Offer training to local schools to allow teachers to implement curriculum.
Martin Knecht
(956)872-2526
Dr. Enriqueta Cortez
(956)872-2502
