2020 Pool Course

Similar to past seasons, the 2020 International SeaPerch Challenge will include two in-pool components: an obstacle course and a challenge course. Find all the course build guides available for download in the sidebar menu.

The Obstacle Course tests high-speed maneuverability and requires your SeaPerch to navigate the course as quickly as possible. The SeaPerch operator must develop the skill to turn and adjust the vertical position (dive or ascend) while driving in full or near full speed and must also be able to quickly reverse the SeaPerch to make corrections if it is off course. Please note: there is no guarantee of the position of the obstacle course hoops at competitions, so operators should not try to memorize actions such as in playing a video game but should instead practice a variety of general high-speed maneuvers.

The Mission Course will incorporate a mission that teams must complete with their SeaPerch related to Waterway Cleanup.

In Mission: Waterway Cleanup, SeaPerch Teams will be asked to assist with cleanup efforts in a particularly polluted waterway. Teams must disarm and secure underwater mines, remove trash floating on the water’s surface, and dispose of submerged waste in an underwater vault. Specific technical challenges will include:

1. The Active Mine: A simulated active mine is submerged in the water and must be disarmed. The mine can be disarmed by rotating the arming device affixed to the mine. Additional points can be obtained by removing the arming device and disposing it on a platform in the vault. (Please note, while we hope that this year’s challenge will be “explosive,” there will be no actual explosive materials used in the challenge.)

2. The Disposal Vault: A disposal vault will be used to dispose of sunken trash, unexploded mines, and the active mine arming device. Specific tasks will include:

a. Opening the Vault: The vault will be closed at the start of the challenge must be opened by rotating a latch.

b. Closing the Vault: The disposal vault can be closed by hooking an unexploded mine onto the vault gate’s closing arm. Additional points can be obtained by latching the gate after it is closed.

3. The “Garbage Patch”: A debris field containing multiple pieces of floating trash will be confined by a floating containment ring. The trash must be removed from this ring and transported to the pool deck.

4. Sunken Waste: A platform will contain sunken trash and unexploded mines simulated by weighted balls with rope loops. Waste must be removed from the platform and transported to the disposal vault. Waste can be deposited on the disposal platform (without entering the vault) or released into the disposal vault for additional points.

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Check our 2020 SeaPerch Challenge Playlist for additional videos.