Students Win with Submersible, Remotely Operated Vehicle

Feb. 19, 2013
A team of engineering students from Early College East is headed to Germany after winning Phoenix Contact’s Nanoline contest.

Reflecting the trend around remote control operations in industry, the winning team in this year Nanoline contest took home the prize for its design and construction of the “Delian One Remotely Operated Vehicle”. This unmanned vehicle uses Phoenix Contact’s Nanoline Controller and nanoNavigator software to remotely maneuver and explore an underwater environment. The Nanoline controls the Delian One’s thrusters, so that it can submerge and maneuver underwater. The controller is also used to turn the vehicle’s lights and camera on or off.

The team’s reward for its winning entry is the opportunity to travel to Hanover, Germany, this April, where they will demonstrate the Delian One in the TectoYou Hall at Hanover Fair, the world’s largest industrial tradeshow. TectoYou is a special hall at Hanover Fair dedicated to inspiring young people to consider careers in engineering.  Delian One Team members are Thomas Munday, Alex Messmer, Ashley Mullikin, Benjamin Fisher, Aaron Nasser and Claudia Yllanes. The school advisor is John Ebright, and Don Dickinson served as the team’s Phoenix Contact mentor.

The Nanoline contest is part of Phoenix Contact’s National Engineers Week celebration.

See a video below of the Delian One in action at the North Carolina Aquarium.

Ten teams competed in the fifth annual Nanoline contest. The second place award ($500) went to Walker Career Center in Indianapolis, Ind., for its “Automated Hotdog Cooker”.  The Neptune team from Lower Dauphin High School, Hummelstown, Pa., took third prize ($250) for its “Automated Fish Tank”. J.P. McCaskey High School, Lancaster, Pa., came in fourth place ($125) with its “Basketball Return.”

About the Author

David Greenfield, editor in chief | Editor in Chief

David Greenfield joined Automation World in June 2011. Bringing a wealth of industry knowledge and media experience to his position, David’s contributions can be found in AW’s print and online editions and custom projects. Earlier in his career, David was Editorial Director of Design News at UBM Electronics, and prior to joining UBM, he was Editorial Director of Control Engineering at Reed Business Information, where he also worked on Manufacturing Business Technology as Publisher. 

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