{"id":11577334,"date":"2025-07-25T05:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T09:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11577334&preview=true&preview_id=11577334"},"modified":"2025-07-25T06:53:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T10:53:58","slug":"south-river-underwater-robot-oyster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/25\/south-river-underwater-robot-oyster\/","title":{"rendered":"South River High\u2019s underwater robot deployed in search for oyster reef data"},"content":{"rendered":"

Equipped with a grasping arm attachment, video camera and 100-meter tether, the Power Hawks of South River High School deployed a 30-pound waterproof robot into the South River Wednesday to collect data from an oyster reef.<\/p>\n

The robot \u2014 named Lil Blue Heron\u00a0\u2014 maneuvered around an oyster reef in Glebe Bay, taking video in an attempt to monitor its growth. The Power Hawks Robotics Team 1111 and Arundel Rivers Federation worked together,\u00a0taking two boats out on the river for the initial launch.<\/p>\n

The Power Hawks had some technical difficulties, with the control panel\u2019s chamber filling with water on its initial deployment. High schoolers Nick Pounds and Max Sprague pulled the robot out of the water and managed to fix\u00a0the leak. They took out the temperature sensor, reconfigured the control panel and, in about an hour, the robot was ready to try again.<\/p>\n

After maneuvering through the silty river water, Lil Blue Heron finally caught sight of the reef, where oyster shells have grown and attached to one another to form a combined underwater structure. The robot\u2019s video was displayed on a laptop, and Pounds and Sprague controlled the robot\u2019s movements with a video game controller. The Arundel Rivers Federation, which planted oysters on that reef earlier this year, will use the video to monitor the reef\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n

Pounds said despite the setbacks, the Power Hawks were able to \u201ceasily overcome\u201d the challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a rewarding moment, being able to actually see our hard work going towards something,\u201d Pounds said.<\/p>\n

\"Due
Due to a water leak the brains of the robot has to be removed and repaired. (Paul W. Gillespie\/Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Power Hawks approached the Arundel Rivers Federation more than a year ago about working together, and the two organizations applied for funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.<\/p>\n

Oyster reefs are habitats for organisms like small fish and crabs, and they serve as natural water filters, consuming algae that can pollute the bay. Collecting data near the oyster reef is important to understanding the overall health of the river, said Mairin Corasaniti, outreach coordinator at Arundel Rivers Federation.<\/p>\n

The Arundel Rivers Federation gave the Power Hawks the type of data they wanted to collect, and the high school students began building the underwater robot in the fall. After a test run in an outdoor pool earlier this summer, Wednesday was the robot\u2019s first river launch. The partners will send Lil Blue Heron out periodically to collect additional data.<\/p>\n

The Power Hawks are a FIRST Robotics competition team \u2014 officially titled Power Hawks Robotics Team 1111 \u2014 with 15-30 students each year who build and compete with their robots at regional and national competitions. FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.<\/p>\n

The Power Hawks most recently qualified for the FIRST Championship in 2022, where it competed against teams from all over the world and placed in the top third of the 100-plus teams.<\/p>\n

The competition season is separate from this underwater deployment, which was the first scientific research-oriented robot the Power Hawks\u00a0made.<\/p>\n