Background image credit: Jeff Milisen - “Touch of Gray canyon - BlueROV2 photos in Hawaii”
Hi everyone!
If you follow us on social media these won’t come as a surprise, but over the last little while we’ve been announcing and spotlighting the winners of the T500 Vehicle Design Contest we ran in August. I’ve edited together a little collage here, to bring “to life” some of our favourite submissions 
Here’s a summary of the pictured designs (follow the links for related images and additional views of each design, and some more detailed descriptions):
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Overall Winner: Prism (middle right)
- By: Nathan Crum
- Designed: around the results of a genetic optimisation algorithm, which maximised thruster performance by changing thruster positions and positive thrust directions
- Constructed: from a welded aluminum frame, 3D printed frame mounts, and acrylic electronics housing, allowing the vehicle to be cheap, easy to manufacture, and simple to assemble
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Best Render: MonoPlat (top)
- By: Atsuhiro Onishi
- From: Japan
- Designed: to be as thin as possible, for speed and efficiency (including in fast flowing waters)
- Constructed: with 3 watertight enclosures, a dynamic camera positioning system, and a DVL, allowing it to operate as an AUV in the future
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Most Detailed Design: Sea Dragon Four (middle left upper)
- By: Logan Flanagan (@BatGuy)
- From: Sea Dragons (underwater robotics team)
- Designed: as a sustainable, durable workhorse
- Constructed: using recycled aerospace grade carbon fiber sheet, non-reactive 3D printed components, lift bags, a manipulator, Co2, an expandable host of cameras, and a custom 6s21p battery
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Most Unique Application: Heavy Hauler (middle left lower)
- By: John Griffiths (@johng)
- From: Down Deep Drones
- Designed: to carry anything from marine debris to gold mining suction pump hoses, to the diver operating it!
- Constructed: with carry baskets and a protective shell
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Most Creative: Turtle (bottom right)
- By: Tri Susanto
- From: SUROVTIC
- Designed: to crawl freely along the sea floor
- Constructed: with 6 thrusters, track wheels, and a camouflage frame
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Most Inspiring: LASBRUV (bottom left)
- By: Jonah Reynolds
- Designed: for efficient cruising while maintaining lateral agility, and fast ascents/descents
- Constructed: with a combination of T500 and T200 Thrusters to expand operational capabilities
We had a lot of fun with this competition, and hopefully you did too!
Let us know if you’ve got fun ideas we could try in future, or if you’d like something done differently next time