Voisin law (Jersey) has teamed up with local charity Wetwheels Jersey to give students the chance to build an underwater submarine and share findings globally.
Year five and six students from Samares School, La Moye school and Springfield school will soon join Wetwheels in their exploration of Jersey’s coast, using an underwater telerobotic submarine.
The students have started taking part in building sessions and are spending time soldering, gluing, coding and welding in order to build the submarine from scratch. Students will then get to see the submarine in action in Jersey’s open waters while on the Wetwheels catamaran. Controlled by a PlayStation remote, the device can dive down to 100 metres. The submarine will reveal valuable information about Jersey’s sea conditions, including information about the sea bed, water activity and temperature. The students will also spend time building a website and a blog in order to present the project and the findings to their school during assembly.
The innovative project uses underwater drone kits developed by OpenROV, a company dedicated to creating more accessible and affordable tools for underwater exploration and education. OpenROV has already established a rich community of makers, explorers, and ocean enthusiasts with its popular OpenROV kits. Thanks to Voisin law and Wetwheels Jersey, local students will soon have the opportunity to access this new form of underwater exploration and share their finding globally, as part of the OpenROV research.
Georgina Jeffries, Head of Marketing, Voisin law, says:
"As the sole sponsors for the Wetwheels Jersey Education Programme, it is fantastic to see how such innovative ideas can provide valuable educational experiences for our younger generation. Not only are the students getting to build the submarine from scratch, but they will also learn what it’s like to conduct important research about our Island’s underwater habitat and share this information across a global network. Our partnership with Wetwheels Jersey is all about creating unique experiences just like this for the benefit of our island community, and who knows, perhaps we will inspire some marine experts of the future."
Andy Le Seelleur, Wetwheels Trustee, says:
"The OpenROV project will be a great opportunity for children to gain a hands on experience with technology and see how it can be used to reveal more about our maritime countryside. We are extremely grateful to Voisin for recognising the benefits of our Education Programme and thanks to their support we will be able to continue to involve hundreds of pupils with this project year after year.’
