I love robots and the ocean, so my dream is to make an underwater robot that can explore reefs. Last weekend, I built a simple model using plastic bottles, motors, and waterproof tape.

The First Prototype

Materials I Used:

• 2 plastic bottles (for buoyancy)
• Small DC motors
• Waterproof tape
• Battery pack
• Propellers (made from plastic spoons!)

It didn’t dive very deep yet, but it moved! Watching it glide through the water for the first time was amazing.

Challenges I Faced

Building an underwater robot is harder than I thought:

• Waterproofing: Water kept getting into the motor compartment
• Buoyancy: Finding the right balance so it doesn’t sink or float too much
• Control: Making it go where I want it to go
• Power: Batteries don’t last very long underwater

Next Steps

Next step: add sensors so it can detect light and maybe follow fish. I’m researching:

• Light sensors (photoresistors)
• Simple Arduino programming
• Better waterproofing techniques
• How to add a camera (maybe a cheap action cam?)

The Big Dream

Eventually, I want to:

1. Add a camera to record underwater footage
2. Program it to avoid obstacles
3. Make it dive deeper (at least 10 feet)
4. Use it to explore local ponds and maybe the ocean

Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll build robots that help scientists study coral reefs!

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Are you interested in robotics? What would you build?