Naval service wins undersea robot battle

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The winning Irish Naval Service team LS Patrick Reidy, S/LT Marcus Ryan, and TTERA Kevin Hanifin. (Image: Darragh Kane)

20 July 2016

The IMERC Mechathon competition challenged five teams to design and build a deep sea robot to do battle with competitors.

Taking place in the Lir National Ocean Test Facility in the MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy at the UCC Beaufort Building in Ringaskiddy, and sponsored by Tyco and Enterprise Ireland, the winner was the Irish Naval Service team.

Each participating team was given three months to build a robot that could complete an underwater obstacle course in a test tanks in the ocean test facility.

The teams came from the Halpin Centre for Research and Innovation in Cork Institute of Technology, the Irish Naval Service, the MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy, and Tyco and Tyndall National Institute. As part of the I WISH Imagines Programme, which aims to inspire, encourage and motivate young female students to pursue careers in STEM, each team mentored a female transition year student for the duration of the competition.

The Irish Naval Service robot, which the judges deemed to be the most effective and efficient, took the €1500 prize.

“The IMERC Mechathon is delighted to be partnered by the I WISH Imagines Programme,” said Martin Wall, manager, The Entrepreneur Ship and coordinator of the IMERC Mechathon. “Each student worked with a team and over the course of the competition, and helped to brainstorm, prototype and build the robot before presenting at the grand finale. Through the I WISH partnership with the IMERC Mechathon each student had the opportunity to experience, first hand, what it is like to work on an exciting and innovative STEM project in world-class facilities.”

“Enterprise Ireland is delighted to sponsor the IMERC Mechathon,” said Martin Corkery, regional manager, Enterprise Ireland and judge, IMERC Mechathon. “Ireland’s ‘blue economy’ is developing at a pace and there are fantastic technologies emerging from our research institutes. Underwater robots are driving the exploration of our seas and oceans in ways that were never possible before so it is encouraging to see the teams here today develop functioning and effective underwater robots in a relatively short space of time, and with a small budget.”

 

 

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