Oftentimes explorers, rescuers, and disaster aid workers find themselves in underwater situations where they don’t have adequate tools to fulfill their mission. These situations might come about because of climate change, a post-disaster flood, or even daily life in a submarine. What if we had robots to carry out these dangerous missions for us? Enter the world of deep sea robotics where the underwater environment calls for a shift in the way robots are designed and deployed. 

How will these robots use the depth of the sea to its advantage as it maneuvers through the sea floors, slithers through the kelp forest, and collects rare specimens unscathed using precise grippers? In this studio, students will take inspiration from deep sea creatures and design devices and bots to carry out dangerous underwater missions using deformable and sustainable materials like bioplastics and control movement through compliant mechanisms.  

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