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Researchers Tap SolidWorks CAD to Design an Antarctica Exploration Vehicle

Living in a remote place like McMurdo Station in Antarctica means you don’t get access to a lot of high-tech handholding. So what does an engineer or researcher do when they’re charged with designing a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for exploring marine life in the frigid tundra of Antarctica? What this engineering team did is turn to SolidWorks 3D CAD software and COSMOS design analysis tool because, researchers say, of the pair’s fast learning curve.

With the SolidWorks software, the research team, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, was able to create an ROV that allows engineers to study the ocean floor 1,000 feet deep and further away from the McMurdo station before having to don dry suits. The ROV design has motors and a long umbilical cord that enables it go much deeper than any human diver, while its onboard high-resolution camera will provide detailed images of the ocean floor and the strange acquatic life that lives there.

SolidWorks says the team’s Chief Engineer Robert Zook was able to teach himself the CAD software using tutorials and with some guidance from a SolidWorks reseller, GoEngineer. Who knows what Zook can teach himself next time.