team 41
An underwater collection vacuum with custom aeration technology, size sorting capabilities, and an ergonomic friendly user interface.


Over 95% of the California’s bull kelp population has died off in the past decade. This can be attributed to the 10000% increase in purple sea urchin numbers. We decided to make an underwater vacuum with custom aeration technology and size sorting capabilities. The ergonomic device has a collection rate 6x higher than any other urchin removal method & will aid divers in clearing the urchin barrens.

Engineering for Social Innovation

Director

Tim Ruybal

Team Members

  • Josh Ayers
  • Dorothea French
  • Heather Hunt
  • Justin Kirchner
  • Jacob Lawrence 
  • Zach Sorscher

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