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9Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Underwater Robot Challenge
After two days of keen competition at the swimming pool of the
City University of Hong Kong, Team Penguin, a team formed by
Year 1 CityU EE undergraduates have won the championship in the
Hong Kong Underwater Robot Challenge on 8-9 April 2007. The
five team members are all from mainland China. A second CityU
EE team, Robonauts, also took part, but their robot flooded during
the test run and did not take part in the final contest. The two CityU
EE teams have now combined, and the new Team Penguin will
compete in the International Underwater Robot Challenge, which
will be held at the Marine Institute and the Institute for Ocean
Technology, Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada, in June
2007.
The team leader, Dai Bo, was very grateful for the support from
CityU in preparation of the robot, ‘We were allowed to access many
of the facilities and equipments in the Underwater Systems
Laboratory at EE for this competition. This helped a lot. Although
there are advanced facilities in the universities in mainland China,
undergraduates are not even allowed to touch.’ The other members
of the winning team were Ke Jiangbo, Lin Jing, Tang Chengcheng,
Li Shuo and Li Boyan.
The Hong Kong Underwater Robot Challenge was started in 2006,
aiming at raising the younger generation’s interest in robotic
technology and marine conservation. Its success with secondary
school teachers, students and their parents led to its expansion to
university and college students this year. This contest was jointly
organized by the WWF Hong Kong and City University of Hong
Kong, under the leadership of Dr. Robin Bradbeer, Associate
Professor of EE.
The rules and guidelines of the contest were based on the international
competition mentioned above. In recognition of the International Polar
Year in 2007, the competition will highlight polar regions and reflect
the challenges that scientists and engineers face working there. The
Hong Kong teams carried out similar tasks such as grabbing jellyfish
substitutes under ice sheets.
Whilst Team Penguin was the only team to be given an award among
the five university/college teams, the champion, first and second
runners up of the secondary school section were HKTA Yuen Yuen
Institute No. 2 Secondary School, Kowk Tak Seng Catholic
Secondary School and The Methodist Church HK Wesley College,
respectively.
The contest started recruiting participants in December 2006. Teams
of secondary school students were given a robot kit free of charge
and CityU held workshops for most weekends in January in the Control
Laboratory/Underwater Systems Laboratory on building underwater
robots and modifying the basic design to accomplish the tasks in the
contest. College-level teams were encouraged to use the expertise
available at CityU in their designs. Technical advice to the teams
was provided by Dr Bradbeer, Alan Pun Wai Lun and Kenneth Ku
Ka Keung.
The three winning secondary school teams demonstrated their designs
at the Hoi Ha Wan Marine Life Centre on 4th May by running the
robots 4m below seawater surface and searching for fish. The
swimming robots at work were shown to the press on the glass bottom
boat.
Dr Robin Bradbeer, is the planner and technical consultant for the
competition, “I’ve been amazed by the students’ achievements in
technical knowledge, problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork
throughout the process. These are the strongest motivations for me
to keep on organizing these kinds of activities,” She is happy that this
year’s competition was successfully expanded to include university/
college students.
Professor David Tong Shuk-yin, Deputy President of CityU was very
impressed by the enthusiasm of the participants, ‘CityU is very keen
to pass technology on to the younger generation through these kinds
of interesting activities. Research and teaching are inextricably linked.
Research informs teaching, including the provision of research
opportunities so students can contribute to the development of the
community.’
According to Mr Michael Chalmers, Executive Council Member of
10
Prof. David Tong and the champion CityU team, Penguin.
The winning secondary team members and their robots at the
Hoi Ha Wan Marine Life Centre
A running underwater robot viewed through a glass panel of
the glass-bottom boat of the Hoi Ha Wan Marine Life Centre
WWF Hong Kong, ‘It’s exciting to see these young talented scientists
testing their underwater robots in a natural marine environment and
I’m sure the exercise will further inspire their enthusiasm and creativity
in the future application of high technology for protection of our
marine environment. The future of our planet will be determined by
the young generation and I look forward to seeing the increasing
application of advanced technology to marine conservation
programmes.’
Robin Bradbeer
Dr Robin Bradbeer was examining
and commenting the design of one
of the competing underwater
robots
The champion CityU team, Penguin, was deploying their robot
into the water.
One of the awarded secondary school team was maneuvering
their robot.