Conceptual Design of an Underwater Manipulator for AUV

(AUV) is a robot which travels underwater. Sometimes called Unmanned Underwater Vehicles, these devices are powered by batteries or fuel cells and can operate in water as deep as 6000 feet. The objective of this project is to study and design an underwater manipulator for AUV for the purpose of deepwater equipment intervention

A design review of a currently available manipulator for deepwater working class AUV was done to know the limitations and improvements that can be implemented. Then, 3 designs were completed based on 5 design considerations which are the degree of freedom, workspace extent, moment of inertia and mass, power saving design and cost saving design. Based on weighted average method, 2 DOF, electric motor drive and a module design were selected. The details of the design were then analysed and modelled to obtain the actual sizing of its parts. With 60 Nm motor, the manipulator can move its arm around from one extreme position to another in 2 seconds. While the end-effector which using the same driver design, have been proved to be able to work with only a little less effective compared to the same end-effector at atmospheric pressure. Further study has to be done as there are many uncertainties in the deepwater environment.