FHMS ROV Team Wins Competition

Friday Harbor Middle School ROV Team Oceanus Explorations wins MATE Competition

Back: Matthew McElrath, Front: Levi Doenges and Justin Ha – M. McElrath photo

The Friday Harbor Middle School ROV Club competed at the MATE (Marine Advanced Technology Education) Pacific Northwest Regional Competition near Seattle on Saturday, May 09, 2015. They came home victorious having won the Scout Class competition. For the second year in a row, Matthew McElrath, age 14, led the team as Captain/CEO of team Oceanus Explorations. Their ROV, Orange Crush, performed flawlessly, living up to its name, garnering praise from other teams for its design and performance.

The MATE competition is a team competition.  Levi Doenges, 13 years old, is the Orange Crush pilot. Justin Ha, also 13, shares duties as an engineer and hydraulics specialist with McElrath. The pilot’s job is to get the robot to the target, at the right place, at the right time, at the right angle of approach and the proper speed; not an easy task from the surface of rippling water. The engineer’s job is to hold a viewer made of foam-rimmed Lexan and keep it focused for the pilot to view through, while feeding and retracting the tether from the surface to the ROV and keeping it from getting tangled.

The Orange Crush – M. McElrath photo

The hydraulics specialist operates the gripper, OC’s most unique feature. In addition to the team’s synchronicity, their ROV must operate with reliability and agility. The teams have a 5 minute setup window, 15 minutes to complete their mission tasks, and 5 minutes to break down their equipment and vacate the demonstration area.

The mission tasks for Scout Class included a safety inspection as well as the following underwater tasks:

Science:
Simulations of collecting of algae from under the surface of an ice sheet, collecting sea urchins from the sea floor and placing a sensor package in a designated area on the sea floor.

Subsea Pipeline Inspection and Repair:
Turning a valve to stop the flow of liquid through the pipe, removing a corroded section of pipe from the pipeline, installing a new section of pipe in the pipeline, and turning the valve back on and restoring the flow of liquid.

This year’s competition theme was ROV’s in extreme environments: Science and Industry in the Arctic: The 2015 MATE competition highlights the role that ROVs play in polar science and the offshore oil and gas industry.

The FHMS team earned 239.6 points out of a possible 270. The nearest other team had 212. Congratulations team Oceanus Explorations and Orange Crush. A well-deserved victory!

The team would like to offer their thanks to club adviser Derek Smith and mentors Bob Tauscher, Keith Carver and Michael McElrath for all their advice and logistical support. They would also like to give special thanks to Jeff Asher, Friday Harbor Drug, and the Cape San Juan Homeowner’s Association for invaluable assistance and support.

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