Motion in the ocean 11-14
Currently, only 5% of the ocean has been explored - this is due to several factors including the hostile conditions in the depths of the ocean. The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 provides inspiration to consider how human behaviours impact on underwater worlds, and how engineers are finding solutions to improve humanity’s relationship with the ocean. In these sessions, learners explore how engineers are developing robotics to explore, research and operate within our oceans. They engage in the ask-imagine-make process to create mechanical systems, closely examining nature to incorporate biomimicry into their designs.
Ethical Explorers - should we leave it or learn from it?
The ocean is a dangerous and difficult environment for human exploration. Engineers have stepped up to the challenge and are innovating and designing robots to fulfil a wide range of functions underwater, including marine drones to inspect the integrity of pipework or rigging, autonomous unmanned vehicles to explore and observe underwater life/ecosystems, marine robots that enable conservationists to observe animal behaviour etc.
UNESCO states: ‘Most of us live unaware of how much our daily actions affect the health, sustainability and resources of the ocean, upon which we depend. At the same time, we fail to recognise how much the health of the ocean affects our daily life and lifestyle.’
How do we respond to questions about whether humans should explore the ocean further? How important is the ocean to each and every one of us? And what’s our role?
Underwater Robots, inspired by nature
Learners respond to the UNESCO’s Ocean Decade Challenge - in particular Principle 6: The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected and Principle 7: The ocean is largely unexplored.
They learn how robotic engineers use nature to inspire design, becoming aware of the interplay between biomimicry and engineering. They apply this to design an animatronic robot to cope with the dangerous and difficult underwater contexts that include fragile environments and delicate marine ecosystems. They generate ideas with annotated sketches which detail and explain mechanisms and components for an innovative, functional underwater robot.
Marine Makeathon
Learners respond to a design brief and make a prototype mechanical system for an ocean animatronic robot inspired by a sea creature. They observe natural features of underwater life, using biomimicry to influence their design and make. They use mechanical systems to mimic the natural movements and to enable the robot to navigate the ocean floor, climb rocky terrains, and perform precise, delicate tasks.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. These sessions support Goal 14 which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Explore other challenges or take this challenge to another age group.
Attend webinars or contact the campaign team to support delivery.
Download classroom resources and watch videos to support learner engineering skills.
