Analytical Essay

By Reed, Santiago, Gage, and Emmet

The Inspiration

Our goal was to make a fully submersible ROV that would map out our pool using sonar. This was a difficult task, mostly because there were so many problems that we needed to contemplate and solve. The issue we were addressing was the exploration of the ocean or the lack of it. Only 5% of the ocean has been explored and charted. We get a significant amount of our advancements in all fields from the ocean. This is an issue where any help is greatly appreciated and needed. This particular problem appeals to us because of how unknown the ocean is, and our natural intuition is to want to discover the unknown. Our project will contribute to the exploration of the ocean. 

Results/Error Analysis 

We didn't get our desired results because we didn’t use our time as efficiently as we should have. We successfully created cases for all our electronics and our ballast tank, but we could not finish the syringe electronics or motors in time to test. We hope to continue working on this and eventually finish our sub. We were overly optimistic about what we could achieve in the time we were given. Still, there were rewarding things we learned throughout this project about the scientific method. 

Pool vs. Ocean

Our pool is extremely different from the ocean due to the sheer size of the ocean, amongst many other reasons, so there will be apparent discrepancies when doing an experiment in a pool vs. doing one in the ocean. The ocean is much more rough, so our sub would need to be much more durable. Also, the different types of water in the pool vs. the ocean would affect the weight of the water because salt water weighs more than fresh water. Because the water weighs more, we would displace more weight with our sub, giving us more leeway with our stuff.

Obstacles

This experiment had many complications that we had to acclimate ourselves to. We learned the ins and outs of making a successful sub, but there were a series of obstacles in the way of our creation. We learned that everything we did needed to be precise because there was little to no room for error. Any 3D print needed to be sealed with glue so it was watertight, all the electronics had to be stable, so we created mounting brackets, and there could not be any errors in the code. There are so many variables to consider when performing an experiment where an underwater vehicle is being used. We learned about the pros and cons of exploration, which allows us to find other life and substances, but sometimes explorers harm environments they are not natives of. The ocean is expansive and vast, yet we only hold knowledge of a small portion of it and the extensive information it contains, so it’s vital we continue our exploration and mapping of the seas and continue discovering the various benefits of the ocean. We learned how to navigate our way through all of these obstacles.

If We Were To Do It Again

If we had done this engineering experiment again, we would definitely have handled our materials and resources with more care. In doing this, we would avoided a significant amount of problems, and it would have gone much more smoothly. We would have also tried to maximize our time because it went quickly, and the due dates sneak up on you. With a group of our size, we should have had more defined roles because, in certain classes, people didn’t have as much to do as others. That is partially because people’s roles weren’t always clear. So there were an exponential amount of opportunities to maximize our time that we didn’t take advantage of. 

Ideas For Further Experimentation or Study

This topic is very broad and contains many different components/areas to explore. Our specific experiment could be re-enacted on a bigger stage. In picking this topic, it is crucial that you have a clear vision of what you want to do. If not, the faults of your project will be more severe, and it will be harder to see where it went wrong. If there is any further experimentation, it would be vital to make the conditions less ideal because the conditions in the ocean are far from perfect. We performed our experiment in very ideal conditions, so there may be discrepancies in our results in comparison to the same experiment in the less ideal conditions of the ocean. Our group used sonar to map out the pool. Another potential idea for mapping is trying to re-enact our project but try to come up with an alternative method of mapping. Currently, sonar is practically the exclusive method of mapping out the depths of the ocean. Mapping is quite difficult because you need to get consistent results that are interpretable. If you don’t get these consistent results, you won’t know what to make of your results. 

Connections

Aristotle once said, “All men by nature desire knowledge.” Our project pushes the boundaries of our need to know and understand because we are addressing ocean exploration, which is an area where humans have fallen short. In our shortcomings, there are glimpses of success that have added fuel to this desire of knowledge. We have had many glimpses of the benefits of the ocean but ultimately we have only explored and mapped 5% of the ocean. There is plenty of work left to do to raise this number. Our project is a step towards understanding the mysteries of the ocean. The way we made an imprint on this issue was by using sonar. 

Echolocation and biosonar are natural mechanisms that dolphins, whales, and various other marine mammals use to communicate and find prey. Humans have developed a resource that uses a similar method to map parts of the ocean. Sonar sends sound waves through the water and when echos come back it means  something was in the way of the sound waves. This makes it possible for humans to see and map under the water to certain depths. While humans don’t have a natural sonar, we have developed an electric sonar based off whale’s and dolphin’s natural sonar.

We find our project connects in many ways to how ocean animals use their natural echolocation and biosonar as a vital tactic to their survival. By experimenting with how we can advance our sonar systems, we can gain much greater knowledge about dolphins, whales, and other underwater animals. Using the research of how these animals use their own sonar, we can gain enough information to expand ocean exploration for humans. Humans experimenting in this subject and using these tactics that they learned from another species is a perfect example of how humans naturally possess the need to gain more knowledge about the environment we live in.