ROV

Underwater Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV)

Inspired by a previous student, Ms King, the Mechatronics Group currently has a mechatron designed for underwater operation. The shell was donated to the Group by Oceaneering in Singapore, and has since had the motors rebuilt, electronics and sensors replaced, and a new computer board installed. The ROV contains four ½ horsepower universal motors, and due to its substantial power supply requirements must be tethered to a surface craft via an umbilical. Nevertheless, the Mechatronics Group is developing a large degree of autonomous control for the ROV with numerous eventual commercial applications.

ROV Video.mpg (2.5MB)

Current projects:

Jason Edwards - MSc (Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering) Student
An inherent problem with creating an autonomous robot to operate underwater is determining where that robot actually is. GPS does not work underwater, and odometry via motor (propeller) speed is unreliable due to varying currents. I am creating an inertia based navigation and localisation system for implementation on this robot. This system will allow an operator on the surface to record the path already travelled by the robot, determine the robot’s current velocity, position and heading and be able steer the craft to a desired destination. I will also be making a few hardware modifications to allow easier access to the robot as well as replacing and upgrading some of the electronics and sensor systems.

Past projects: