3 Match the English expressions with their Russian equivalents.

obstacle course artificial intelligence electrical engineering real life conditions technical paper planned approach overall performance underwater robotics

общее впечатление электротехника реальные условия техническая документация планируемый подход полоса препятствий подводная робототехника искусственный интеллект

4 The two texts below are about a competition. Look through them and say

1. what the name of the competition is;

2. which of the texts is a formal description and which is a magazine article.

A

At the edge of a vast indoor tank, a team of university students watches intensely as a robotic vehicle tries to negotiate an underwater obstacle course. The box-shaped robot has been made by a team from Heriot Watt University in Scotland. It is designed to complete a series of challenging tasks: passing through a gate without touching any part of the structure, following a moving target, hovering over a stationary target and ‘parking’ in a box. But there is not a joystick in sight – this robot is designed to navigate the course independently of a human controller. Heriot Watt’s robot is one of eight autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) taking part in a competition called SAUC-E (Student Autonomous Underwater Challenge Europe). An AUV has to rely on its own artificial intelligence to perform the tasks, unlike a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), which is linked to the ship and controlled by an operator.

Nick Johnson from Heriot Watt University’s team explains that building AUVs requires both the knowledge of electrical engineering and computer science know-how. ‘In universities, the electrical engineers and the computer scientists don’t often mix. But this breaks down the barriers – which is good,’ he says.

Professor Peter Brett, from Aston University, is one of the SAUC-E judges. ‘It is a good educational exercise. It helps students to understand how to design in difficult environments, to provide good solutions using quite complex and advanced technology.’

Heriot Watt University’s team won the first prize in last year’s competition, held in Brest, France. A team from ENSIETA, an engineering school in France came second.

B

The Student Autonomous Underwater Challenge – Europe (SAUC-E) is a student competition where the participating teams, their professors, government and industry partners can share ideas and software. SAUC-E challenges multi-disciplinary university teams (consisting at least of 75% of student members) to design and build robotic vehicles capable of performing realistic autonomous missions in an underwater environment. The student AUVs must work with no control, guidance or communication from a person or from any off-board computer including GPS systems. The competition encourages the participants to consider underwater technology and its future possibilities, as well as build closer links with organisations working in the field of underwater robotics. The aim is to develop the AUV technology by improving platforms and understanding of the AUVs that take part in the SAUC-E competition.

The competition started in the UK in 2006, then it was held in France and Italy. From SAUC-E’10 on, the participating robots have had to perform their tasks in real life sea conditions (i.e. limited visibility and salty water) since the competitions were conducted at the waterfront, unlike the first ones, which were conducted in controlled environments, i.e. test tanks.

In the build up to the challenge, the participating teams are required to prepare a technical paper and give presentations describing their design and their planned approach to the missions. The teams are judged on overall performance along with technical merit, safety of design and the craftsmanship and innovation of the AUV.

5 Work in two groups.

Group A: read text A and find the English equivalents for the Russian expressions. Compare your answers with the other students in your group.

на краю; огромный закрытый бассейн; напряженно смотрит; преодолеть подводную полосу препятствий; ряд трудных заданий; движущаяся цель; неподвижная цель; прокладывать курс; полагаться на собственный искусственный интеллект; электротехника; общаются не часто; снимает барьеры; сложные условия; предлагать хорошие решения

Group B: read text B and find the English equivalents for the Russian expressions. Compare your answers with the other students in your group.

участвующие команды; обменяться идеями; по крайней мере; автономно выполнять реальные задания; под водой; в соответствии с правилами; компьютер, находящийся вне аппарата; создавать более тесные связи; проводилось; начиная с соревнований 10-го года; ограниченная видимость; проводились; на предварительном этапе состязания; общее впечатление; вместе с; технические достоинства

6 Without reading the other text answer as many of the following questions as you can.

1. Is an AUV controlled by a person? How does it carry out its tasks?

2. How is an AUV different from a ROV?

3. What kind of tasks do the student AUVs have to perform?

4. What are the SAUC-E’s aims?

5. What areas of knowledge are combined when building an AUV?

6. When did the competition start and what changed in 2010?

7. What does SAUC-E teach the participating teams?

8. What do the teams have to do before their AUVs are tested by the judges?

7 Make a pair with a student from the other group. Ask him/her the questions you didn’t find answers for. What questions were answered by both of you? Compare your versions.

8 Read the other text and do ex.5 for it. Let your partner check your answers.

9 Which of the words on the left can be combined with the one on the right?

deep-diving / challenge / pilotless / space vehicle

follow / set / change / travel / navigate a course

apply /do / carry out / perform a task

difficult / learning / underwater / remote environment

complex / wide / false / moving / stationary target

10 Use the questions in ex.6 to make a plan and speak about SAUC-E.