Miniaturized submersible for exploration of small aqueous environments

• Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are commonlyused for sub-surface exploration. However, multi-functionalROVs tend to be fairly large, while preferred small and compactROVs suffer from limited functionality. The Deeper Access,Deeper Understanding (DADU) project aims to develop a smallsubmersible concept using miniaturization technologies to enablea high functionality. An operator is able to maneuver the vehiclewith five degrees of freedom using eight small thrusters, while aset of accelerometers and gyros monitor the orientation of thesubmersible. A single fiber optic cable will connect thesubmersible to a control station and enable simultaneous dataand command transfers. Rechargeable battery packs providepower to the submersibles subsystems during operation. Thesewill be rechargeable through the fiber connection. A forwardlooking camera is aided by a laser topography measurementsystem, where distances, sizes and shapes of objects in view canbe determined to within 0.5 cm. For murkier environments, orwhen a more extensive mapping of the surroundings is needed,the small high-frequency side-scanning sonar can be used.Salinity calculations of the water will be available throughmeasurements of the conductivity, temperature and depth.Samples of water and particles within it will be enabled through awater sampler with an enriching capability. Flow sensors will beable to measure the water movement around the submersible’shull. The submersible and its subsystems are under continuousdevelopment. The vehicle itself, and its subsystems as stand-aloneinstruments, will enable the exploration of previouslyunreachable submerged environments, such as the sub-glaciallakes found in Iceland and Antarctica, or other submerged smallenvironments, such as pipe and cave systems.

Nyckelord

submersible

MEMS

MST

miniaturized

micro

subglacial lake

laser

sonar

side-scan

microbe sampler

CTD

flow sensor

fiber optic

TECHNOLOGY

TEKNIKVETENSKAP

Teknisk fysik med inriktning mot mikrosystemteknik

Engineering Science with specialization in Microsystems Technology

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