Analytic Essay

Topic

As soon as we were tasked with the DEEP project our minds flickered with ideas. We formed our group and we wanted to create an engineering project. Luca first thought of the idea of making a submarine when he watched LEGO Submarine 4.0 on YouTube. The group started thinking of ways to build the submarine. Our group did some research and found that we could create ballast tanks out of syringes, to change the buoyancy of the sub. We brainstormed ways in which we could use a submarine for the benefits of human research. Our first idea was to create a submarine that could use a camera to find things in the ocean. This problem was quite vague and has already been solved. We thought long and hard, and came up with the idea to create a submarine that could collect trash in the ocean. We would accomplish this by incorporating a net into the design of our submarine.

Problem

We thought of a way we could use a submarine to help solve a worldwide problem. The problem of trash in the ocean was one that caught our eye. After doing some research, we found that there are an estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic waste in our oceans, 269,000 tons of floating debris, 4 billion microfibers per square kilometer floating underwater. 70% of our trash sinks into marine ecosystems, 15% floats in the sea, and 15% ends up on our beaches. This information made it final and we knew trash in the ocean needed change. Trash deep down in the ocean is almost unobtainable without divers, so a submarine is perfect. replacement. New research shows that, “A recent study revealed that a plastic bag, like the kind given away at grocery stores, is now the deepest known piece of plastic trash, found at a depth of 10,975 meters (36,000 feet) inside the Mariana Trench”(National Geographic). This really shows that trash could be in any crevice of the ocean.

Explain the Project

Our submarine is composed of an acrylic tube, and many, many electronics. After deciding on doing our submarine, the first step was to design the submarine and make a blueprint. We created a “buy list” of things needed to build the submarine. The most important and instrumental part of our project was a microcontroller called an Arduino Nano. An Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. In the world, they are used for many things such as traffic lights and robot control. We designed and then ordered a custom circuit board, and soldered wires, headers, nanos, and capacitors onto this board. We soldered motors, controlled by chips and the nano, to the board. The signal is transmitted through an RF frequency chip. On the control/transmitter side, a Arduino Nano and a breadboard is used. There is another RF frequency chip to send the signals to the receiver/motor side that goes into the submarine. In the submarine, there is a ballast tank controlled by a motor. A ballast tank is used to control the buoyancy of the submarine, controlling depth.

Results

Our team had fully finished the rigorous process of creating a submarine. The build of our submarine was complete and after troubleshooting the code, we had finally succeeded in creating a functioning submarine.. Following the completion of the submarine, we found that testing would be too risky, and could put the entire project in jeopardy. To create a successful submarine, it had to be perfectly water tight to make sure that the parts inside stayed safe. There was no way to test the water tightness before actually putting the entire thing into the water. Our group decided that this was too dangerous and that we should not test. Although we did not test we did learn a lot from this process. We learned how hard it is to create a difficult engineering project from scratch, and how much dedication it truly takes. We also learned how important time management is in a project like this. 

Error Analysis

Our group found out at the end of DEEP, that no groups were allowed to create submarines until this year. They changed that rule our year because they thought we were very innovative and had great plans. We believed from the start that it was possible, but we did not account for the time crunch and the complications of a submarine. If we had just a little more time, we believe that we could have fully completed the submarine by making it watertight, and even testing it for its trash collecting abilities. The complicated part about this was that there were many edits to our original plan, so we had to keep buying more parts. We could have used our time more efficiently by researching and purchasing all the best parts so we would not have to remake and resouter circuit boards. There was also an extreme amount of problems in the coding aspect. We barely figured out how to complete the code so it could function. We know that a submarine like this can definitely be done, but we did not quite have enough time and experience with transceivers and microcontrollers to complete such  a heavy task.

What Would you Change if you were to Redesign your Experiment?

If we go back and redesign our project we would alter multiple things. Including the ballast tank, the body of the submarine(tube), and we would change the way the strangling in the ballast tank moves in and out. The plunger is not as efficient as it could be. We would also change the transmitter and receiver used (Rf24) to another one. We struggled a lot and spent many hours outside of school troubleshooting and finding the errors with it. A problem that also made things more complicated was the joystick. This also took up many hours figuring out what was wrong with it. Eventually it was figured out but it did take a toll on our time. Another error our group made was printing the caps of the tube the wrong size. Printing the watertight caps for the tube the wrong size, cost two of our members an entire class trying to salvage them. After an hour of work we realized they would not work and we had to reprint. This was a waste of very valuable time. Our biggest issue during this whole process was time.

Explain how your results can be used to predict other situations such as going in much deeper water than we could go in the pool, such as the ocean?

This project was limited to testing in a small area such as a pool. The ocean is much more vast and unpredictable than the pool, so there would be many differences in findings. First, our submarine would have to be bigger because it would need to be able to collect larger amounts of trash. Second, we would have only used  small objects to test if it would collect trash successfully. Third, and last, there are many lifeforms in the ocean. Our net could possibly harvest small fish or other creatures. This would be detrimental for the project and start a new problem instead of solving one. Because the sub would be used in places with lots of trash, the motors of our submarine could possibly get stuck in plastics. We would have to devise and way to add motor guards or protection to keep the fish and natural life from swimming or getting in. 

Suggest ideas for further experimentation or study

One big suggestion would be to trial and error more often. We didn’t fully test all of our project's components. Our first grand mistake was planning. We didn’t set up a fully bulletproof blueprint that would last us through the whole project. Our decision of diving straight into the project with no knowledge wasn’t our brightest idea. Our second mistake was taking our time for granted. We fell far back early on by not carrying ourselves throughout the first weeks. We started to Jam Pack tons of work way too late, which made finishing very difficult. As a group we thought that because we had so much time we could start slow and stay at a certain pace, that wasn’t the case. Our initial pace was far too slow and put us in a tough position. Our final suggestion for anyone doing an engineering project is to use materials you know how to use. We decided to use complicated components that set us far back. Using complicated microcontrollers such as Arduinos and complicated transmitters such as the rf24 make it very difficult. The  Arduino also brought in the issue of  the coding. Our project took hours of coding and hardwork.

Explain what you Learned

Throughout the project we learned how much grit and determination it takes to build a functioning underwater vehicle. Every member of the Sub Above team had to constantly be on task and use every moment effectively. To be able to take on this task you also have to be interested in the idea and truly enjoy what you are doing, which we were.

William: Throughout the development of our project, I learned many things. It was a big learning curve for me since I have not dealt with arduinos and microcontrollers. I learned how to code in C++, and how to work with the arduino software, arduino IDE. We used this software to create code between our receiver and transmitter. The coding behind this project became very complicated and hard. It took many hours to find out the errors in the code that was causing the problems. This let us remote control our motors and ballast tanks, all by one joystick. Both the receiver and transmitter both have unique addresses for communication between the two.

Luca: This experience brought me many new learning opportunities, which I capitalized on. One of my favorite endeavors was learning how to 3D print. With the help of Ms. Friedman I was taught the amazing world of 3D printing and the complexity of it. My group tasked me with creating the lids for our submarine and the inner sealing caps for it. These jobs required very precise measurements because they had to be able to withstand the pressure of the water. Ironically, in the process of it, I made a fatal error and printed the cap too large. Holden and I tried to salvage this by sanding them down, but we were unsuccessful. The next day I went to work designing a new usable cap and it worked. This made me realize how important measurements are and how perfect they have to be to work. 

Holden: I learned the skill of constantly changing, adapting, and innovating your original idea. To create such a complex vehicle it takes multiple re-tools and lots of perseverance. Many times during this process we encountered problems with our design and had to figure out ways to work around them. Along the way of the project I also learned how to use a laser cutter and a digital caliper. Learning to use the digital caliper made me realize how important it is to be accurate on your measurements when building something. Being one millimeter off can cause the entire project to no longer work.

Bobby: Throughout this meticulous process, I’ve had many opportunities to learn. I learned the basics-intermediate levels of coding. Coding can seem quite complicated, but once I actually learned it by watching a couple Youtube videos, it became very simple. I also learned a bit about the arduino. I gained an understanding of how to hook up the breadboard and the arduino. This might seem easy, but when you have to line it up perfectly or else it won’t work, it can become hard. Similar to Holden, I learned that measurements are the key to success. The slightest adjustments are necessary for achieving the final result.

Connections:

The Human Condition is the act of being human and how humans think. The Human Condition is often mixed up with human nature. Human nature refers to traits that humans possess, including their behavior and characteristics. The Human Condition is much more vast and complex than human nature. It looks at how our natural characteristics change when we are shaped by the community around us. Scientists have been relating the human condition to their work for decades now. This helps an ordinary person understand how a scientific study relates to their everyday life.

In short, our project is about a submarine that can collect trash from the ocean to help the world. As humans, we are binded to the idea to create a better circumstance for ourselves. This relates to humans wanting to create a better life by cleaning up trash and cleaning the Earth. Trash is affecting the environment around us in ways such as climate change, harming habitats, and spreading chemical pollutants. Most of all, trash affects oceans, rivers, lakes and the marine life in them. It is our job as humans, to help the environment and life around us. Helping them will help us.