N.L. teams boot up for underwater robotics competition in Seattle

Youth and young adults from Newfoundland and Labrador are inSeattle, Washington putting their robotics skills to the test.

The competition? Manoeuvre self-made underwater robots through complicated tasks that simulate real-life situations.

The Marine Advanced Technology EducationRemotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) competition is an annual contest that involves 30 teams spanning eight countries.

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The Newfoundland and Labrador university-level team won the competition back in 2016, and this year they have set their sights on reclaiming the title.

Commercial ROVs are essential tools for scientific exploration, cable layingand oil rig repair. The commercial robots are the size of cars and decked out with millions of dollars of equipment. The ones in this competition are only microwave sized, but the goal is to familiarize contestants with the challenges of building and operating ROVs.

This year's theme is "Jet City: Aircraft, Earthquakes and Energy." The tasks are not trivial: recover an airplane engine, install a seismometerand set up a tidal turbine.

Building robots, making friends

The "Explorer" tier university team has spent hundreds of hours at the Marine Institute, working tirelessly on their robot.

"You can really put in as much time on this project as you want," said team member Nick Graham."I've been in with [teammate] Christian every day for the past week and a half, you know, pulling 12-14 hour days."

The long hours are not fuelled by the desire to win, but rather by the love of the craft and the friendships within the team.

"[Winning] is not the motivation here, it is more to kind of develop skills, to work with the team," said Graham.

"You make some really great friends on the team."

Michaela Barnes first started building ROVs and competing when she went to Clarenville Junior High. She said the excitement she felt back then hasn't waned.

"Our teacher would be like 'you gotta leave, you guys are kids, you have to go to sleep' but we used to just love it, and it's kinda the same way now" said Barnes.

"You know, you get to be with your friends and it's the same excitement I feel now, except nobody tells us to leave so we just stay up all night."

Chad Spurrell, who mentored the Clarenville Elementary team at the regionals in May, said it was rewarding to see Barnes start in junior high and continue throughout high school and all the way to university.

The competition takes place June 21-23 at the Weyerhauser King County Aquatic Centerin Seattle. A livestream of the competition will air on the MATE website.

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