ANN ARBOR, Mich.--- The University of Michigan’s human-powered submarine team is competing in the 10th International Submarine Races this week in Bethesda, Maryland. Follow the team's blog.

The team is racing against students from more than 20 schools from around the world. Each team will be timed through a 100-meter section of the David Taylor Water Basin at the Naval Surface Warfare Centers. One team runs the course at a time.

The Michigan students have been working for 10 months on their submarine, Mercury. It has undergone numerous systems upgrades since the last race two years ago. The biggest change was the addition of custom counter-rotating propeller blades.

“Our design is one of the few, if not only team that will be using counter-rotating propellers for their efficiency gains,” said Mechanical Engineering student Stephen Curtis, who is the team manager.

The pilot powers the propellers by pedaling in the air-less cabin. The crew, which includes a pilot and supporting divers, breathes through SCUBA gear.

The team consists of 15 undergraduate and graduate students from various engineering disciplines. Being part of the team allows students to apply classroom knowledge and to experience the design process.

“Students must follow a system from concept to design to manufacturing to implementation,” says team member Alex Goldman, a recent Mechanical Engineering graduate.

This will be the 6th time the team competes in this international race. In 2007 the team finished 3rd in the one-person propeller category and set a new speed record. The team won the two-person propeller category in 2001 with a speed of 4.92 knots.

For more information:
Human-Powered Submarine Team

Human-Powered Submarine Team’s Race Blog