NI Arabia Competition - Wearable Underwater Robot (WUWR)
The Wearable Underwater Robot (WUWR) was a research proposal for a single-person submarine designed to solve critical problems in offshore oil and gas operations. Khaled served as Mechanical Official for the Normande Team, the only high school team competing against postgraduate students in the National Instruments Arabia competition. Despite being years younger than competitors, the team achieved 8th place with their innovative solution combining ROV automation with human interaction.
Problem Solved
Offshore industry challenges including blurred underwater camera vision, ROV vehicle loss due to sea currents, cable tangling costing millions annually, and potential oil rig damage from ROV accidents
- •Designed capsule body shape to minimize underwater current effects
- •Developed 6 degrees of freedom movement system
- •Created 3D mechanical designs for the wearable submarine
- •Integrated auto-adjusting buoyancy system based on diver characteristics
- •Collaborated on comprehensive safety systems design
- ✓Achieved 8th place in postgraduate-level competition as the only high school team
- ✓Research proposal accepted in National Instruments Arabia competition
- ✓Designed innovative single-person submarine concept combining ROV and human capabilities
- ✓Proposed 95% cost reduction compared to standard ROV systems ($1,000 vs $20,000)
- ✓Developed 6-DOF dynamic positioning system with LabVIEW and MyRIO
- ✓Created comprehensive safety systems including emergency airbag return
- ✓Received guidance from offshore industry professionals including Marine Captain advisors
Scale
- • Designed for offshore oil and gas operations supporting multiple production lines
Technology Stack
Challenge
Competing against postgraduate students with years more education and experience
Solution
Leveraged family connections to offshore industry for real-world problem insights, combined with thorough technical research and innovative thinking
Impact
Achieved 8th place and research proposal acceptance despite age and experience gap
Challenge
Designing a wearable submarine that could address multiple ROV shortcomings
Solution
Created hybrid concept combining ROV automation (dynamic positioning, path planning) with human operator inside for judgment calls
Impact
Proposed solution addressed camera vision, cable tangling, and vehicle loss problems simultaneously
Challenge
Ensuring diver safety in autonomous underwater vehicle
Solution
Designed comprehensive safety systems including auto-adjusting buoyancy, emergency airbag return, water leak detection, and backup batteries
Impact
Created safer design than traditional ROV operations
Situation
In 2014, the National Instruments Arabia competition challenged teams to solve engineering problems using LabVIEW and MyRIO. While the competition typically attracted postgraduate students with advanced research experience, a team of 18-year-old high school students from Egypt decided to compete. The offshore oil and gas industry faced serious challenges with ROV operations including blurred camera vision, vehicle loss, and cable tangling costing millions annually.
Task
As Mechanical Official for the Normande Team, Khaled was responsible for designing the mechanical systems of a wearable underwater robot that could solve these industry challenges while being dramatically more cost-effective than existing solutions.
Action
The team leveraged family connections to the offshore industry, receiving guidance from Marine Captain Mohie Eldin Elfakhrany and Marine Engineer Nasser Abdulla. Khaled designed a capsule-shaped body to minimize current effects, developed a 6-DOF movement system, and integrated auto-adjusting buoyancy based on diver characteristics. The team implemented LabVIEW control with image processing for object detection, path planning algorithms, and comprehensive safety systems including emergency airbag return.
Result
The Normande Team achieved 8th place in the competition, becoming the only high school team whose research proposal was accepted in the postgraduate-level event. The proposed WUWR design offered 95% cost savings over traditional ROV systems while addressing multiple industry pain points. This experience validated the team's ability to compete at advanced academic levels and provided foundational exposure to robotics, LabVIEW, and offshore industry challenges.
Technical
- • LabVIEW visual programming for robotics
- • MyRIO hardware controller programming
- • Dynamic positioning systems
- • Image processing for object detection
- • Path planning and obstacle avoidance algorithms
- • 6-DOF mechanical design
Soft Skills
- • Technical research and proposal writing
- • Cross-disciplinary team collaboration
- • Competing at levels above perceived capability
Key Insights
- 💡 Age is not a barrier to competing at advanced technical levels
- 💡 Real-world industry connections provide invaluable problem context
- 💡 Innovative thinking can compensate for less formal experience