Highly maneuverable spherical robots for underwater applications
Name
864437179-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
5.08 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
4c9a22b77b7631d7d0acdca78ff1f9af
Author(s)
Fittery, Aaron (Aaron M.)
Advisor(s)
H. Harry Asada.
Date Issued
2013
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The direct video inspection of complex underwater systems, like those inside nuclear reactors, is a difficult task to accomplish. Alternatives to underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) inspection are very laborious, if possible at all. Current ROVs have difficulty navigating and effectively surveying these systems because walls and extrusions throughout the environment easily damage the external appendages that propel and steer the robots. These damages will often times render the robot useless, leaving it stranded. Continuing off previous work designing externally smooth robots with uniquely designed internalized mechanical components, this work explores the design of new, spherical robots. There exist many benefits to the spherical geometry of vehicles. With zero added mass and identical dynamics moving in all directions, the maneuvering capabilities of these robots are extremely high, making them easy to control and inspect many complex underwater systems.
Description
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 45-46).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
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