‘Inia’ is spending its retirement where it really belongs: underwater. The bionic submarine, built by the Submarine Team at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, was sunk in Gochness quarry lake, where it will serve as an attraction for divers in future.
‘Inia’ is the first submarine built in Kleve and, at the same time, the most successful. In 2015, the student team – comprising engineers and bionics specialists – won the silver medal with it at a submarine race in Washington. The sub was powered by muscle power; the students, led by Professor of Bionics William Megill, had modelled its propulsion system on that of the Amazon river dolphin and replicated its tail fin, which was moved by pedals. The successful team also took its name from the river mammal, which belongs to the genus Inia. The submarine, like its successors, was sponsored by the Friends of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Cleve Campus e.V. “None of this would have been possible without the Friends and our other sponsors,” says Professor William Megill, expressing his gratitude.
The submarine now lies safely moored at a depth of four metres and can be visited there by divers. Former members of the submarine team were also present at the ‘wet’ farewell. And students from the university will continue to visit ‘Inia’ in future: all new team members are expected to dive down to the silver medallist as part of their induction to give it a bit of a clean and a tidy-up.
Anyone interested can view the university’s other submarines on dry land: a small submarine museum is being set up in the university’s bionics hall, featuring information on design, propulsion and technology.
Contact
Prof. Dr William Megill
Faculty of Technology and Bionics
Professor of Bionics, specialising in sensor technology and robotics
Telephone: 02821 80673 646
Email: william.megill@hochschule-rhein-waal.de
