While we often like to think as humans we have control and free reign over the entire Earth, the reality is there are places we can’t go, environments we can’t withstand, and situations that are much too hot for us to handle. Luckily, a few technological wizards are working to help us reach the unreachable and learn a little something about how the natural world works.

There is a very special kind of researcher residing in Savannah whose only goal in life is to research and solve the world’s most pressing ecological problems. Even more impressive, he specializes—and thrives—in environments that are inhospitable to virtually all other scientists across the world. Currently, his field experience ranges from reading seismic activity of volcanoes in Hawaii to keeping the depths of our own coastal marshlands and coral reefs clean and functioning. He’s got the weight of the natural world on his shoulders, yet from the massive water tank where he cheerfully hones his skills, he gives a friendly, relaxed wave. But, the big puppy eyes and surfer-like demeanor are a bit misleading because, after all, he’s not really the one in control.

Techy is an underwater robot, and the brainchild of a team of students enrolled at Georgia Tech’s coastal campus. From scratch, they designed and built Techy, who weighs around 60 pounds, is worth about $30,000 and came to life after a few thousand man hours. With the loving determination of a new parent and the help of a high-tech set up of computers, cameras and controls, they now spend large amounts of their time monitoring and recording his every move as Techy’s doe eyes are actually two video cameras that allow the team to see exactly what he sees, right when he sees it. “There’s no delay to the eye,” graduate student Steven Bradshaw says, pointing to one of the many computer screens that are hooked up to Techy and make up their research headquarters. Eventually, those happy-go-lucky eyes will capture and create a database of information that the team acquires from the ocean floor of our local waterways. But, before they threw him to the wild seas, Techy had to prove himself.

In June, after success in preliminary competitions that siphon off the cream of the crop from over 400 teams across the world, the team put Techy to the ultimate test in one of the most extreme environments on earth. Their winning design afforded them a spot at the Annual International Student ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) Competition at the University of Hawaii in Hilo, where they placed 15^th overall, an impressive showing despite a few technical problems. “We didn’t have some of the hardware. We lost a thruster when we were traveling,” says Bradshaw. “We had to reroute some of the internal wiring and went from a four thruster to a three thruster configuration.”

After staying up until the wee hours of the morning rehabbing Techy, the students successfully guided him through the competition, which primarily consisted of four missions that simulate field tasks similar to those they perform during underwater research. And, this year, the competition was hot—literally. “One of the things they really tried to emphasize is volcano research,” Bradshaw says explaining that their missions included repairing equipment, collecting samples and data or detecting rumbling sites. “ There was a lot of sensory and object retrieval,” says student Lisa Hicks.

Beyond the physical challenges, the team says they learned a lot about science, research—and of course robots—from being around so many like-minded people, who are all using technology for the betterment of the environment, and who are all from vastly different backgrounds, experience levels and even ages. “From middle-schoolers to graduate students, we’re all tackling the same solutions,” Bradshaw says. “There’re a lot of different ways to go about things, so there’s a lot of ingenuity.”

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS

But, the annual competition is only one of the end goals for the underwater robotics division. The Savannah-based department is led by Dr. Fumin Zhang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, who has been researching robotics for over 15 years and is instrumental in bringing interest and funding to the program. Recently, he was named a recipient of the 2010 Young Investigator Award given by The Office of Naval Research. The award brought over a half million dollars to the coastal research center and will be used to make improvements to Techy and a few other specialty vehicles. “What we’re doing here is really cutting edge, especially with marine biology,” he says of their capabilities.

While he gets just as excited about the competition as the students, his passion is practical application. In fact, after the devastating oil spill in the gulf coast, large-scale rescue efforts are on the forefront of his mind—and research. “I’m trying to figure out why there’s so little we can do,” he says of the ongoing cleanup efforts. “I’ve been doing research for 15 years and see that we don’t have options. That’s the reason I’m supporting the development of these vehicles.”

While Zhang’s department specializes in underwater research, he says right now is a very industrious and exciting time for the entire field of robotics. The field of study has exploded and is now being used for everything from marine biology research to rescue and cleanup efforts to national defense. “The next generation of fighters will be autonomous,” Zhang says of the future robotic ancestors of Techy. He estimates that in about 20 years there will be fleets of robots that are able to function completely on their own. And it seems forward thinking is his forte. One of his other major goals for the department is to kids started early. Right at the campus, he has set up a program so that kids from local middle and high schools can come to the campus to learn about and build robots. “Nationwide, robotics education has become one of the fastest growing subjects,” he says.

To learn more about the program, visit, gtsav.gatech.edu or facebook.com/georgiatechsavannah