3.1 Technical Design Report

A Technical Design Report (TDR) succinctly describes your unique SeaPerch ROV and the engineering design process, providing insight into the iterative design process and allowing for data analysis that supports the final ROV design.

Overview

The TDR consists of seven mandatory sections and two mandatory appendices. The format of the written paper shall adhere to the following guidelines:

• 5 page limit (excluding Acknowledgements, References, and Appendices)

• 8.5 x 11 in. page size

• Margins ≥ 0.8 in.

• Font: Times New Roman 12pt

• Header on every page including Team ID, Team Name, and page number

• Submitted in .pdf format

PRO TIP: Teams are encouraged to start and keep an Engineering Notebook at the beginning of their SeaPerch build. Submitting an Engineering Notebook is not required for participation in the International SeaPerch Challenge but does help form the basis for creating a well-written TDR.

Need some inspiration? Visit https://seaperch.org/resources/design-process/ for a few helpful resources.

Report Contents

Abstract

A well-written abstract should concisely explain the key points or essence of your paper and quickly explain to the reader what the paper is about.

Task Overview

This section should include an overview of the task(s) your ROV will attempt and should discuss the characteristics and features of the tasks that affected the final design. Avoid directly quoting course descriptions or problem statements for real-world applications and instead use your own words to describe what your ROV will/would do within the application.

Design Approach

Given the tasks described in the previous section, describe your team’s strategy and approach to developing a novel SeaPerch design. Novelty may occur at various levels of the design and build process including specific components, collections of components, or even team approaches to the process. Focus attention on the creative aspects of your system and how your team conceived of, refined, and implemented these ideas. Describe your experience in making design decisions and how prospective ideas were considered among the team. Include engineering and scientific terms and concepts to demonstrate the team’s understanding of the challenges of constructing and operating an underwater ROV.

Experimental Results

This section should describe various tests accomplished in-water and/or in simulation. What were your results? How did these tests impact your team’s subsequent design(s)? Include images, charts, and figures to demonstrate your results.

Reflection & Next Steps

Reflect on this season’s experience. What did you learn? Were there aspects of the project that you particularly enjoyed or that challenged you? How do you think that your new knowledge or experience will assist you in future endeavors? Include a discussion of next steps for the team and/or the team’s ROV.

Acknowledgements

Participating in the competition involves identifying resources and support beyond the efforts of individual team members. This support can take many forms, such as technical advice, labor, equipment, facilities, and monetary contributions. Acknowledging those who have supported your efforts is important.

References

As with any technical publication, original ideas and content not generated by the paper’s authors should be properly cited. While there are many citation styles, the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide should be used. Use in-text citations, where appropriate.

Budget

Include all components included in your SeaPerch design and their costs. This budget does not need to include components included in a standard SeaPerch ROV kit. Add as many rows as necessary to complete your budget.

This information may be utilized during compliance checks to determine appropriate competition class and should reflect the total materials cost of your ROV. Costs for 3D printed parts should be priced at $0.02 per gram.

Scoring

This submission is worth 100 points. Guidelines are available in Appendix B: Scoring Rubrics and Scoresheets.

• Abstract – 10 points max

• Task Overview – 10 points max

• Design Approach – 26 points max

• Experimental Results – 14 points max

• Reflection & Next Steps – 10 points max

• Acknowledgements – 4 points max

• References – 8 points max

• Budget – 4 points max

• Writing Skills – 8 points max

• Paper format – 6 points max