Before the ROVs can be placed in the tank, all teh PVC parts must have holes drilled in them. Otherwise, air bubbles can get trapped which would affect the buoyancy of the vehicle.
After the ROV has all the parts drilled it can be placed in the water. After a good shake, all the air should escape allowing the ROV to sink to the bottom. Students then use pool noodles to add buoyancy to the ROV until neutral buoyancy - neither sinking or floating - is achieved.
Achieving neutral buoyancy can be a difficult task especially in a crowded tank as illustrated in the video below. Maybe its not so much "crowding" being an issue as much as it is there are boys piloting the ROVs who just want to have a little "fun."
In this final video you can see what the camera monitor display looks like. The water is a little murky right now, but you can just make out the PVC "T" anemones that the students are practicing retrieving. At the end of the videos you will be able to see the ROV with the "T's" that it has just picked up.
