Editor’s Note:

At SEVENSEAS, we believe curiosity and early engagement with science and exploration are essential to the future of ocean research and discovery. Encouraging young minds to think critically about real world challenges, whether ecological, cultural, or technological, is something we value deeply, especially within an international context.

The work shared below comes from a team of Grade Nine students from the International School of Bergen in Norway. Developed as part of their participation in the First Lego League and the Scandinavian Innovation Awards, their project explores one of the challenges associated with underwater archaeology, how artifacts can be protected from oxidation during recovery from the marine environment.

We have been working with them over a few months and are happy to share their ideas and enthusiasm with our global audience. This short article presents the student-led concept and learning exercise and is published to highlight youth engagement, international collaboration, and creative problem solving. It is not intended as an evaluation or validation of the technical feasibility of the approach.

We invite readers to take a look at what this team has created, and we wish them, along with students everywhere who are engaging with science, engineering, and the ocean, continued curiosity, inspiration, and success.

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Our team, Eivinds Discipler, consists of 13 enthusiastic and hardworking grade 9 students from the International School of Bergen (Norway). 5 of us will attend to present our innovative solution in the finals of the Scandinavian innovation award in February 2026.

What makes us special is we represent 6 different nationalities from across the globe, we all have different hobbies outside of school, we speak multiple and different languages at home, we practice different traditions, yet we all share one thing in common: our big passion for STEAM, First Lego League, and our desire to make a real impact in the world with our innovation project.

We began with a First Lego League unit in September, as part of the yearly grade 9 curriculum in science and design. Now, 6 months later, although we no longer have First Lego League as part of our curriculum, we will be going to Oslo to participate in the Scandinavian Innovation Awards. We are a class team of both girls and boys, and we have worked both in and out of school to make our ideas come to life. Some classmates have been in our class for many years, and others have joined recently— but despite that, we all work together and use our unique experiences and knowledge to bring forward new ideas with different perspectives.

The First Lego League competition is hosted globally every year. Its goal is to encourage young generations to invent innovative solutions for global problems. In the year of 2025, the field First Lego League believed was the most relevant was Archaeology (Unearthed).

Archeology is an upcoming topic in 2025/2026 as we depend on it to understand how the world works today. Archaeology is practiced depending on context and by finding problems within our contexts, we work to come up with solutions that can improve lives for the future generations.

We dug deeper on a problem more specific to our area, and could be applied globally. In Norway, a significant amount of artifacts are found in the ocean due to it being a big resource for Norwegian society and culture. By studying how oxidation occurs and reviewing how artifacts are usually handled, we have identified a clear need for a solution providing protection from oxidation of artifacts after being brought up from the ocean. A successful solution will help preserve the condition of artifacts, support accurate scientific analysis, and preserve our culture and history for the generations to come.

When artifacts or pieces of historical structures are removed from the ocean, they are immediately exposed to oxygen. This exposure can cause a chemical reaction that weakens, corrodes, or damages the artifacts within a very short period of time, especially since the salt in seawater speeds up the reaction. If they become damaged during collection, then important historical and cultural information can be lost forever.

Our solution to the chosen problem is the OxyBox+OxiGel. The OxyBox’s frame structure (customizable size) of stainless steel makes the OxyBox heavy enough to withstand currents and pressure and resist rust. The rectangular box has three compartments: two boxes on the side and one in the middle. The middle compartment is twice the size of a singular side compartment. When an underwater site is discovered, divers take the box down to lift artifacts.

To prepare the box beforehand, labs fill the two side compartments with the second part of our innovation: the OxiGel. The gel consists of: beeswax-based oleogel (beeswax + natural oil + clay) ( C₃₀H₆₂O₂ + Al₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄), montmorillonite- thickened plant oil gel, (C₁₈H₃₄O₂ + Al₂Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂) and natural rubber latex (once cured) (C₅H₈) . The OxiGel’s purpose is to surround the artifact and provide it with a protective environment, free of oxygen. Inside the side compartments, there are rotary agitators powered by rechargeable batteries to prevent the gel from stiffening.

During action, the box is closed by sliding doors on the top of the side compartments and the top + bottom of the middle compartment. On each side of the box there are wires linked to a boat to keep it stable, which will lower/lift the box into and out of the sea.

The box is submerged to the ideal height without touching the seabed, careful not to ruin corals and disturb other marine life. Once the OxyBox is lowered, divers follow the box and place the artifact inside the open middle compartment now filled with seawater.

Divers manually close the sliding doors. A thin layer of soft plastic surrounds the sides of the middle compartment to ensure that the artifact cannot be damaged during retrieval.

Using water pressure and valves, the gel from the side compartments is pushed into the middle compartment from the bottom. The side compartments previously filled with gel are now filled with water through water pressure. When the gel is pushed to the middle compartment from the bottom, it pushes with such force that the water gets forced out through the valves on the top of the box. The gel will not mix with water due to its components.

The gel should be surrounding the artifact in the middle compartment, and since the gel is not in constant movement, it will start to harden into a silicone-like texture. The gel is incredibly important as it blocks oxygen and actively removes salt from the seawater. When the gel has been pumped and the box is closed, it’s lifted up by the wire. At the bottom of the middle compartment, there are, as mentioned, sliding doors, which are specifically for easy removal of the artifact.

Due to the artifact being previously placed on the bottom of the box, it’s easy to access when you open the underside trapdoor, plus the gel is non-sticky so it’s a simple removal. The designing and research process ensures that the OxyBox + OxiGel is sustainable, reliable, and affordable.

During the process, we had to think deeply about possible issues that could occur before, during, and after transportation; not only when it came to designing the solution, but also researching small factors like materials, sustainability, and market research.

Because the OxyBox can be refilled, it will be significantly cheaper and more sustainable. It is also considerably cheaper and simpler compared to current solutions such as electrolytic reduction, and freeze drying. Other factors decrease the cost: motors, cameras, remote-controlled parts and lights, which our original design of the OxyBox had but currently does not.

Another factor we focused on was divers. Divers can go down 30-40m deep without it being harmful. We learnt that artifacts in Norwegian waters range from shallow to the deepest oceans. Therefore, there are realistically many artefacts which can be preserved within 0-40 metres deep, making the OxyBox realistic.

With the help of artificial intelligence, looking at shipping locations and different sources, we found the price for our solution if we were to start producing it. In addition, we searched every item individually to ensure our estimate is correct. The estimated price is 20 000 NOK(= 1 970 USD) for structure, including pumps, agitators, batteries, valves, and gel. Gel refills cost approximately 500 – 1 000 NOK (= 50 – 100 USD). Overall, these factors make our solution safe and economically feasible, accessible, and adaptable to work around the world.

One of the current methods of preventing underwater oxidation is placing an artifact in a box of seawater. Once brought to the surface, it’s transported to labs where conservators begin treatments such as desalination, chemical stabilisation, and controlled drying. While these methods are valid, artifacts are not safe from oxidation or physical damage before they reach the lab.

Exposure to oxygen during transfer speeds deterioration, and temporary storage methods provide only limited protection. Our solution changes this process by ensuring immediate preservation at the point of recovery. Instead of waiting until the artifact reaches the laboratory, the box allows divers to protect it starting underwater. When the artifact is placed inside, the OxiGel is pumped in to replace the water surrounding the artifact. This prevents contact with oxygen and creates a soft, stable environment for transport. By this process, our solutions effectively preserve artifacts through the entire journey.

We shared our findings with professionals who were clearly aware of the issue and looked at our solution, confirming it could have a real life impact and were open to future solutions to solve the problem. Our solution will improve archaeologists’ work, which impacts us as a society.

Our approach improves existing solutions by combining protection with secure transport and making it reusable. Together, these features will provide archeologists with a reliable solution, far more effective than traditional methods, and will shape the future of underwater archeology. Artifacts and historical findings help us understand who we are today and prevent problems in the future. They give us an insight on the lives of previous generations, helping us visualise how communities in the past worked, which teaches us how we can develop as a society today.

Written by: Julia Søraas Meidell and Eva Marianna Mohn.