Here’s a list of the top posts of 2008. For your enjoyment.

1. Beetle Robot
2. Unmanned Systems Roadmap
3. Build Your Own Underwater ROV For $250
4. Update from Wall-E builder’s group
5. Pixar’s Latest Movie – Wall-E The Robot
6. LEGO Linear Actuator
7. 2008 Robot Christmas Gift Guide

A couple interesting submarine launched UAVs, one by Raytheon and another, VOLANS, built by a German company, are featured in this Register article. The Submarine Over the Horizon Organic Capabilities, or SOTHOC, built by Raytheon, is launched out of the waste disposal lock of a submarine. SOTHOC then decents to a preset depth where it rises to the surface and launches a unmanned flying vehicle to gather data. The UAV can relay the data back to the sub via antenna, or if the sub whishes to remain anonymous the data can be relayed via satellite back to the US. This system allows a submarine to lauch an UAV while remaining submerged, in contrast to the VOLANS, which launches via a mast attached to the robot. The VOLANS functions as a mobile periscope for the sub.

Pictured above is a group photo of all the teams competing in the 11th annual International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle competition. University of Maryland won the competition, unseating University of Florida from their 3 year winning streak. Congratulations to all the teams. The final standings for the top 8 teams are below. Pictured below is Maryland’s vehicle and a team photo.

Final Standings:

1. University of Maryland
2. University of Texas at Dallas
3. École de technologie supérieure
4. University of Florida
5. United States Naval Academy
6. University of Victoria
7. Cornell
8. Florida Atlantic University

Don’t forget that the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s 11th Annual International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition is taking place this weekend in San Diego, CA.

This year’s theme is “Underseas 11″ and will feature gambling themed tasks, such as grabbing a sack of cash from a “bank vault”, traversing an “air duct” (a floating PCV structure), and the like.

The competition is open to the public this Saturday and Sunday and is held at the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center’s Transducer Evaluation Center (TRANSDEC) pool located on Point Loma, San Diego. You can read the spectator FAQ (PDF) for more details.

25 teams from around the glob are registered for the competition, including my alma mater, NC State University. The teams have to construct a fully autonomous underwater vehicle that is capable of navigating, using machine vision, and acoustic navigation. It should be interesting (the competition is rather boring, since it’s underwater, but talking to the teams is fun). So, if you’re in the area, please go out and cheer them on. Send me some pictures if you do.

Update: The team from Cornell appears to be live-blogging the event.

Update 2: You can watch a live webcast of the finals here. It looks like the underwater video is being shot with an LBV from Seabotix.

Update 3: Here’s a list of the teams going into the finals.

Update 4: You can see the final standings here. Surprise ending!

 As promised, I’m here to provide closure to NCSU‘s journey to San Diego. And, no, we didn’t place in the competition. We were so very close – one of the top contenders actually. We were able to demonstrate in practice all of the tasks, which, as far as I know, no other teams were able to do.

 So let me just give you blow by blow starting Saturday morning:

First Preliminary Run

Our robot has a network cable teather which allows us to recompile code and run it on-the-fly. We consulted with David Novak, the in-charge-man for the competition rules, and he assured us we could run with the teather as long as we stepped away from the computer once we started our run.

However, when we arrived at the platform, the chief judge told us "nothin’ doin’" and made us remove the cable and put in a blank puck (aluminum endcap where the cable origianlly entered the electronics tube).

This was a high stress situation and everyone stood up to it bravely, but unfortunately, the robot failed to run.

A heated altercation then followed. We tried, as courteously as possible, to get some sort of concession since we had been misinformed. Eventually they agreed to let us run again that evening at 6:00.
 
Much stress ensued …

Second (1.1?) Preliminary Run

At least we had another chance on Saturday. We buttoned up the robot. Brought it to the launch platform, lowered it into the water, and nothing happened. OpenCV kept crashing, so our visual starting device (an orange "key") wouldn’t work.

In a mad, heart-stopping, dash, Matt opened up the robot and reconnected the network cable for Sterling to put in a delayed start mechanism. In a flash, the robot was back together and in the water.

We bagan to count the seconds … slowly, slowly, our 5 minute timer ticked down and we waited for the robot to start.

Nothing happened. 

Heat-broken, we pulled the robot out once again, and prepared for a very long night.

 
Final Preliminary Run

We had stayed up all night working on the robot. Trouble shooting bugs and trying to install a wireless network card so we could wireless start Seawolf.

Finally, the 11th hour dawned and to our horror, we found out our thrusters wouldn’t work. Nothing. Zip. Matt rushed back to the hotel to get the spares. The spares didn’t help. Some thrusters would cut on. We’d power cycle and a different thruster would cut on. It was a nightmare. No rhyme. No reason. Utter confusion.

Eventually, we found a combination that worked. It was very touchy, but it worked. We tried it 4 times at our booth. Twice at the starting platform. And finally, once on the dock.

However, when we lowered the robot into the water. It once again refused to work. Seawolf got stage fright.

To add to our misery, at this same time our batteries failed. So, we hauled Seawolf out of the water and did a NASCAR breakdown and battery replacement of the robot. There were cameras and people all around us taking pictures in amazement. It was pretty spectacular. The whole process took about 3 minutes.

With just a few minutes to spare we once again tried to coax Seawolf into playing, but he refused, and simply cut on two thrusters

and

spiraled

down

into

the

depths …

Conclusion


It was all worth it. Sure, we’re horribly disappointed, but it was an amazing experience. Everyone loved the robot – the media (on live San Diego TV), visitors ("I saw your robot on TV!"), and the divers ("f***-it, I like Seawolf better!").



Great job University of Florida you had an awesome robot and deserved the title. But, enjoy it while it lasts, cause next year

NCSU will be king!