SHARK -- Aquatic Soft Robotics STEM Education Kit

The US Department of the Navy (DON) has recently identified Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) as an emerging technology necessary to the Navy mission. Bio-inspired swimming robots have shown promise in a wide range of applications due to their efficiency, speed, and stealth capability. To prepare our workforce for the UUV technologies of tomorrow, we need to ensure that unique aspects of bio-inspired robots—soft actuators, flexible materials, waterproofing, sensing/controls, periodic motion—are introduced to students throughout their traditional education. We propose a Student-focused Holistic Aquatic Robotics Kit (SHARK) to teach students the unique aspects of aquatic robot design through establishing a research-based design strategy and modern scientific standards for learning objectives. The SHARK will provide groups of K-5th, 6th-8th, and 9th-12th grade students with instructional robot builds and the materials for an annual national soft-robotics competition.