Ohio State Underwater Robotics Team heading to RoboSub 2019

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underwater robotics team outside Knowlton Hall
Competitive water sports aren’t just for athletes at The Ohio State University. 

Outside Knowlton Hall this summer, STEMbot went for a swim. STEMbot is the Ohio State Underwater Robotics Team’s (UWRT) demo vehicle, a smaller, submarine robot used to help draw attention to the collaborative engineering concepts explored by the student group.

Watch a short video interview with the team

“Not a lot of people know who we are, but we build autonomous submarines,” said team member Jennifer Humanchuk, a third-year electrical and computer engineering (ECE) student.

This year, however, all eyes are on Puddles—the team’s larger, competitive autonomous submarine officially debuting at the international AUVSI RoboSub 2019 competition in San Diego July 29 through August 4. 

The team is determined to make a name for itself at the competition. The students came came close in 2018.

“We’re really hoping this year we’ll be in the finals,” Humanchuck said.

UWRT is an interdisciplinary student project group specializing in the design, construction and operation of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Each vehicle is designed to self-navigate through a series of tasks, mimicking ongoing research in Autonomous Underwater Systems. 

“We design it so we can throw it in the water and it does its own thing, completely on its own,” Humanchuk said.

robot in water

ECE student and team member Blaine Miller is already reaping the benefits of joining the Ohio State group.

“I just got a job with Battelle because they saw all of my work with acoustic systems within the electronics of the robot,” he said. “This team is a great experience. It’s a great resume builder. People love to see that you’ve been gaining real-world experience.” 

Benji Justice, also an ECE major, is the current team president.

"Joining the UWRT was probably the best decision I made during my four years at Ohio State. I discovered the team at the annual Engineering Student Involvement Fair,” he said. “I had never seen anything like it. I was hooked. Wanting to learn more, I decided to join and the rest is history.” 

Students from a variety of majors are responsible for building every aspect of the vehicles, including machining the housings, soldering the circuit boards, and developing the software.

Justice said URT helped him develop technical, leadership, business and communication skills during his time serving different roles on the team—plus three summer trips to San Diego for the RoboSub competition.

“My experience with the team has really been an invaluable, defining piece of my experience here,” Justice said. “I will never forget the memories made and lessons learned with this team."

Miller said he enjoys the collaborative engineering environment.

student operates robot in an inflatable pool

“You’re working with people who think the same way you do, who want to experience the same challenges that you like facing,” he said.

UWRT also performs a number of STEM outreach events in the Columbus community as a way of giving back and generating more interest in the field of robotics. At the Ohio State Fair, the students annually design and build an exhibit to educate the local community about marine engineering. This involves demonstrating smaller AUVs like STEMbot, which guests can engage with in a small pool. The team also presented at MakerX: The Columbus Maker Expo, an event showcasing all types of creators, and visits COSI each year to educate children about careers in engineering. 

For those interested in joining the team in 2019, members are often recruited in the fall. The group typically meets twice a week.

You can follow the team’s activities via Instagram and Facebook.

Interested in having The Underwater Robotics Team visit your classroom or STEM event? Contact osu.uwrt@gmail.com

Original story by Ryan Horns, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering