Underwater Robots and Underwater Robots and EquipmentEquipment

Atmospheric Diving SuitsAtmospheric Diving Suits

• Good to 2000’ and Good to 2000’ and normally carry 6-8 hours normally carry 6-8 hours of working air and an of working air and an emergency backup.emergency backup.

• Electric motor Electric motor propulsion systems.propulsion systems.

• Some with joint and Some with joint and hand mechanical assist hand mechanical assist systems.systems.

• Weighs ~ 1000 pounds.Weighs ~ 1000 pounds.

Arthur C. Sanderson, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will display the robotic technology being developed by a team of research groups, including Rensselaer, and led by the Autonomous Undersea Systems Institute directed by D. Richard Blidberg.

Sanderson also will participate on a panel of six robotics experts who recently completed a study to be released at the Sept. 16 workshop. The World Technology Evaluation Center International Study of Robotics is a two-year look at robotics research and development in the United States, Japan, Korea, and Western Europe.

As the principal investigator of an NSF-funded project called RiverNet, Sanderson is working collaboratively with other researchers to develop a network of distributed sensing devices and water-monitoring robots, including the first solar-powered autonomous underwater vehicles (SAUVs).

“Once fully realized, this underwater robot technology will allow better observation and monitoring of complex aquatic systems, and will support advances in basic environmental science as well as applications to environmental management and security and defense programs,” said Sanderson.

Flippers for propulsion?Flippers for propulsion?

AMOUR (Autonomous Modular Optical Underwater Robot)

AMOUR with sensors in MooreaWe designed, developed and deployed an underwater sensor network capable of multi-modal perception, dual communications and mobility in the ocean. The hardware consists of static sensor network nodes and mobile robots that are dually networked: optically for point-to-point transmission at 300kb/s and acoustically for broadcast communication over hundreds of meters range at 300b/s. We have demonstrated the system during experiments with this system in the ocean, in rivers, and in lakes.

This program is undertaking the implementation and in-water testing of two classes of biomimetic autonomous underwater vehicles. The first is an 8-legged ambulatory vehicle that is based on the lobster and is intended for autonomous remote-sensing operations in rivers and/or the littoral zone ocean bottom with robust adaptations to irregular bottom contours, current and surge. The second vehicle is an undulatory system that is based on the lamprey and is intended for remote sensing operations in the water column with robust depth/altitude control and high maneuverability.

These vehicles are based on a common biomimetic control, actuator and sensor architecture that features highly modularized components and low cost per vehicle. Operating in concert, they can conduct autonomous investigation of both the bottom and water column of the littoral zone or rivers. These systems represent a new class of autonomous underwater vehicles that may be adapted to operations in a variety of habitat

Flippers for Locomotion: Better Two? Better Four?

Madeleine, an underwater robot, is helping scientists and engineers better understand the most energy-efficient way to use flippers for locomotion as well as to design more efficient underwater autonomous vehicles. Credit: John Long, Vassar College.

An underwater robot is helping scientists understand why four-flippered animals such as penguins, sea turtles and seals use only two of their limbs for propulsion, whereas their long-extinct ancestors seemed to have used all four.

When researchers put a robot named Madeleine through her paces, they found that her top cruising speed did not increase when she used four flippers instead of two -- apparently because the front flippers created turbulence that interfered with the rear flippers' ability to generate forward propulsion. Maintaining the same speed with four flippers also took significantly more energy.

Results from experiments such as these aid engineers in designing underwater autonomous vehicles and help scientists understand why certain traits survived over others during the process of evolution.

• November 5, 2004November 5, 2004

Underwater Robot Makes History Crossing Gulf StreamUnderwater Robot Makes History Crossing Gulf Stream• By Mario AguileraBy Mario Aguilera

Like the sailing vessel used by Captain Joshua Slocum to sail solo Like the sailing vessel used by Captain Joshua Slocum to sail solo around the world 100 years ago, another ocean-going vehicle is around the world 100 years ago, another ocean-going vehicle is making history. A small ocean glider named Spray is the first making history. A small ocean glider named Spray is the first autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, to cross the Gulf Stream autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, to cross the Gulf Stream underwater, proving the viability of self-propelled gliders for long-underwater, proving the viability of self-propelled gliders for long-distance scientific missions and opening new possibilities for studies of distance scientific missions and opening new possibilities for studies of the oceans.the oceans.

• Launched September 11, 2004, about 100 miles south of Nantucket Launched September 11, 2004, about 100 miles south of Nantucket Island, Mass., the two-meter-(6-foot)-long orange glider with a four-Island, Mass., the two-meter-(6-foot)-long orange glider with a four-foot wingspan looks like a model airplane with no visible moving parts. foot wingspan looks like a model airplane with no visible moving parts. It has been slowly making its way toward Bermuda some 600 miles to It has been slowly making its way toward Bermuda some 600 miles to the south of Cape Cod at about one-half knot, roughly half a mile an the south of Cape Cod at about one-half knot, roughly half a mile an hour or 12 miles per day, measuring various properties of the ocean as hour or 12 miles per day, measuring various properties of the ocean as it glides up to the surface and then glides back down to 1,000-meters it glides up to the surface and then glides back down to 1,000-meters depth (3,300 feet) three times a day. Scientists recovered the vehicle depth (3,300 feet) three times a day. Scientists recovered the vehicle this week north of Bermuda.this week north of Bermuda.

Principal Characteristics

Length 4.5 m to 6.0 m

Hull Diameter 0.69 m

Dry Weight 750 to 1250 kg

Working Range 120 km at 1.5 m/s with 75-Watt payload.Range can be increased to 240 km with 2nd battery module

Maximum Depth 300, 1000, 3000 or 5000 meters

Speed Range 0.5 to 2.5 meters per second

Power Source 1.2 – 24 kWh Lithium Ion battery

Control Computer Rack mount compactPCI system

Hydroplanes 3 planes. 2 foreplanes optional

Navigation IxSea Fibre-Optic or Ring Laser Gyro INU

Velocity Sensor RDI Workhorse 300 or 600 kHz DVL

Positioning Motorola GPS antenna on fixed or telescoping mastUSBL transponder

Depth Sensor Paroscientific Digiquartz transducer

Altitude Sensor KSM 675 kHz Digital Altimeter

Acoustic Communications ORCA MATS 200 or LinkQuest UMW4000

Radio Telemetry  900 or 2400 MHz radio, Iridium satellite communications

Payload Capacity  Without removing trim lead – 200 kg

Emergency Equipment   ORE LXT Transponder locater, Novatech Strobe,RF Radio  Beacon

The AUV – ExplorerThe AUV – ExplorerInternational Submarine Engineering, International Submarine Engineering, CanadaCanada