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Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle
(ROV) with Robotic Arm.
M. I. A. Fuad, M. Z. S. Amran, and M. A. Hasanuddin
Faculty of Electronics and Computer Engineering
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka,
Hang Tuah Jaya,
76100 Durian Tunggal,
Melaka, Malaysia.
Email: izwanfuad@gmail.com Email: aku_amin@yahoo.com.my Email: alifuyoo_1988@yahoo.com
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Abstract— Basically remotely operated underwater vehicle is
control by a user and usually used for research in undersea
location where human cannot be able to reach. It is remotely
control, so it can ensure the operator’s safety from the unknown
condition under sea. Underwater remotely operates vehicle
(ROV) widely used for monitoring, surveillance, explore marine
environment, ocean exploration and others. Kindly, the purpose
of ROV can be upgrade to another function by adding some
equipment tools which can be use for specific task. In order that,
one of the technologies develop for ROV is robotic arm. It can be
used for a new development of ROV in underwater technology.
The robotic arm can be applied at ROV which can be used for
several functions such as underwater rescue, cutting, and much
more. With the new function of ROV, it will help to reduce risk
job that cannot be done by human. It will help human to do the
job in underwater with more safety.
Index Terms— Underwater technology, robotic arm, ROV,
manipulators, degree of freedom (DOF), end effector
I.
INTRODUCTION
Underwater Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is control by
a user where human cannot be able to reached. The ROV are
connected by a group of cables that carry electrical signals to
control the ROV. The group of cables connected to transmit
and control signals between underwater ROV and the operator
for allowing remote navigation of the vehicle. ROV primarily
used for observation and inspection operations, these robots
simply carry a single camera and are deployed in waters no
greater than 984 feet (300 meters) deep[2]. Remotely Operated
Underwater Vehicle is designed base on low cost material and
low electricity consumption. The ROV was funded by US
Navy in 1960s by name “Cable-Controlled Underwater
Recovery Vehicle”(CURV) [1]. It was used to do deep sea
rescue operation and recovery object from the ocean floor. In
1980, the ROV become more commercial in offshore
development of oil field. The application of the remotely
operated underwater vehicle widely used in oil and gas
industry. The ROV is remotely control, so it can ensure the
operator’s safety from the unknown condition under sea. A
robotic arm is a robotic manipulator which is similar functions
to a human arm. Usually servo motor is used for joint rotation
for to get same number of degree of freedom as in human arm.
Difference between human arm and robotic arm was humans
pick things up without thinking about the steps involved but
robotic arm need specific coordinate and orientation.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) have a
potential as reliable and effective tools for exploration and
research. ROVs are ideal for anyone wanting to explore the
oceans without participating in a submarine dive or learning to
scuba dive. The ROV system is remotely operating vehicle,
one must distinguish it from remote control vehicles operating
on land or in the air. Widely, the ROV are used for monitoring
but recently ROV was added with some new tools such as
robotic arm. Robotic arm are being used to do a small task
such cutting, pick and place cable, collect thing and others.
The ROV is built with aluminium to make it stronger to
provide the necessary buoyancy. Syntactic foam is often used
for the flotation. A tool sled may be fitted at the bottom of the
system and can accommodate a variety of sensors. The
stability to do work underwater make it heavy with all the
equipment must made with the heavy steel. Electrical cables
may be run inside oil-filled tubing to protect them from
corrosion in seawater. ROVs are unoccupied, it was operated
by a person at another place and it can be seeing by monitor
display throw camera that was implementing at the vehicle.
Additional equipment is commonly added to expand the
vehicle’s capabilities. The ROV system have the high power
applications is the electrical power used to drive a high
powered electrical motor which in turn drives a hydraulic
pump to make it stronger to run in water. The hydraulic pump
is then used to power equipment such as torque tools and
manipulator arms where electrical motors would be too
difficult to implement it in the sea because many tools must be
add. Some other tools may include such as sonar system,
magnetometers, camera, a manipulator, water samplers, and
instruments that measure water clarity, light penetration, and
sensor to make it look perfect.
III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The instrument to working in the water should do carefully
by do a lot of inspection. The natural conditions of water can
damage any devices of electronic if it exposed with water.
Basically before we start do an Underwater Remotely
Operated Vehicle (ROV) with Robotic Arm as a project, we
research and get the information the legal sources such as
relevance article, book, and from the internet. The cameras
2
should attach in this project. The cameras are eye to contact a
person in order to complete Underwater Remotely Operated
Vehicle (ROV). The entire concept is same but our addition is
the arm robot to pick and place some item to another place in
the water with the remote control. This system will be very
good in the water after it can do the move in the water.
Figure 1 show ROV development process at initial stage.
The flowchart explains the stages of development and the
rectifying process when a failure is encounter at a stage. The
design stage plays the most important role while proceeding to
the next stage because determine the functionality of ROV.
During at design stage, developments at each stage need to be
plan out precisely. A mistake at this stage will cause failure to
the whole development process.
START
DESIGN
YES
SEAL EQUIPMENT
NO
YES
arm should have a gripper as an ability to grab/manipulate
objects from destination A to destination B. Without the
gripper, it complicated to robotic arm to move an objects. The
additional of gripper can done by study the mechanical part.
For electronic part, it also should connect the microcontroller
program as a controller. With inspection of mechanical and
electrical part, the gripper and robotic arm can done without
any problem in the end of the project.
To construct a microcontroller program, it should relate of
degree of freedom (DOF). When building an Underwater
Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) with Robotic Arm, it has a
DOF to allow the application and movement, because each
DOF required an encoder and motor to control movement the
robotic arm. Degree of Freedom is transformation matrix in
term to apply forward, backward and inverse kinematics
which is to simulate a freedom robotic arm movement.
RoboSim are a software programming to simulate a robotic
arm. Before we start build an Underwater Remotely Operated
Vehicle (ROV) with Robotic Arm in real time, we should
simulate it via Robosim software. RoboSim are simple
simulation system for a 6 degres of freedom robot manipulator
which is has a basic function to move manipulator (joint
coordinates or Cartesian coordinates). In order to success a
simulator, it required a coding which is had a Degree of
Freedom. After research and get the dedicated result, then we
can begin to build this project.
Figure 2 illustrate of ROV with robotic arm. Robotic arm
can be place at front of ROV included with camera and light.
Degree of freedom for robotic arm can be determine according
the specification of ROV [3]
TESTING FOR WATER
LEAKAGES
YES
CIRCUIT
CONNECTIVITY
YES
HARDWARE DEVELOPMENT
YES
NO
TESTING IN UNDERWATER
END
Figure 2: Illustration of ROV with robotic arm
Figure 1: Remotely Operated Vehicle Development Flowchart
IV. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR ROBOTIC ARM
The robotic arm can controlled by connect it to a
microcontroller program which is to control the output of
movement arm robotic (forward, backward, going up, going
down, and the rotational movement). Furthermore the robotic
V. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Remotely Operated Vehicles are underwater robots used to
locate what situations are in underwater. ROVs are connected
to the group of cable that are link together with controller by
energy source. All ROVs contain some sort of such as camera
use to see under the water, lamp to see in dark place, thrusters
used to enable ROV to move left, right, forward, backward, up
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and down, and additional tools vary according to what type of
ROV is being used.
Function of ROV with Robot arm can classified into several
function depend on type robotic arm were used. For example,
ROV can clean the grime in the water and at the same time it
can be used to see sea creatures in the water with the video
and then it also can be use save the person who drowning in
the water. So many function of ROV with Robot arm to make
it perfect to be use in the water and can be used at oil rigs to
do the welding in the sea, at the same time the risk of life will
be reduce to hire the human to make this job.
489.
[13] Paljug, E. (1995). Experimental study of two robot arms manipulating
large objects. IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, 3(2),
Muhammad Izwan Bin Ahmad Fuad was
born in Perak, Malaysia in 1988. He
received the Diploma in electronic
engineering
from
Ungku
Omar
Polytechnic, Malaysia and currently
pursuit degree in electronic engineering
from the University Technical Malaysia,
Malacca.
VI. CONCLUSION
In the end of this project, a lot of implementation can use in
future based on the Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle
(ROV). For example, it can use to do cleanup and maintenance
of submarine in natural condition deep into sea without that
submarines go up to water surface. Furthermore it can
implement to save drowning victim without need help from the
rescuer. Both of those points are the ideology to do this project
of Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) with
[14]
Robotic Arm.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
First and foremost, we would like to express our
deepest appreciation to our lecturer, Engr. Ridza Azri Bin
Ramlee for his direction, assistance and excellent guidance
throughout our research. We also would like to express our
gratitude to all course mate in Industrial Electronic course for
their generosity, professionalism and superb guidance.
REFERENCES
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remotely_operated_
underwate r_vehicle (11 Disember 2012)
[2] http://www.rigzone.com/training/insight.asp?insight_
id=343&c_id=17 (11 Disember 2012)
[3] http://i-heart-robots.blogspot.com/ (12 Disember 2012)
[4] Azizie, A. (2009). Development of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for
underwater exploration. Chemistry & …, (November).
[5] Bachmayer, R., & Humphris, S. (1998). Oceanographic Research Using
Remotely Operated Underwater Robotic Vehicles: Exploration of
Hydrothermal Vent Sites on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge At 37. Marine
Technology …, 32(3).
[6] Jun, B., Lee, P., & Lee, J. (2004). Manipulability analysis of underwater
robotic arms on ROV and application to task-oriented joint configuration.
… “04. MTTS/IEEE TECHNO-OCEAN”04, 1548–1553.
[7] Marchand, E., & Chaumette, F. (2001). Controlling the manipulator of
an underwater ROV using a coarse calibrated pan/tilt camera. … 2001
ICRA. IEEE …, 2773–2778.
[8] Smallwood, D. (1999). A new Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle
For Dynamics and Control Research. … Submersible …. (September)
[9] Tatt, R. T. K. (2011). Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV),
(May).
[10] Aoustin, Y., Chevallereau, C., Glumineau, a., & Moog, C. H. (1994).
Experimental results for the end-effector control of a single flexible
robotic arm. IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, 2(4),
371–381. doi:10.1109/87.338658
[11] Hao, W., Leck, Y., & Hun, L. (2011). 6-DOF PC-Based Robotic Arm
(PC-ROBOARM) with efficient trajectory planning and speed control.
Mechatronics (ICOM), 2011 4th …, (May), 17–19.
[12] Speck, A. (1998). Robot Simulation and Monitoring on real controllers
(RoboSiM). Proc. ESS’98, 10th European Simulation Symp …, 482–
Mohd Amin Bin Hasanuddin was born in
Perak, Malaysia in 1986. He received the
Diploma in electronic engineering from
Ungku Omar Polytechnic, Malaysia and
currently pursuit degree in electronic
engineering
from
the
University
Technical Malaysia, Malacca.
Mohd Zuhaili Sobri Bin Amran was born
in Johor, Malaysia in 1988. He received
the Diploma in electronic engineering
from Sultan Ibrahim Polytechnic,
Malaysia and currently pursuit degree in
electronic
engineering
from
the
University Technical Malaysia, Malacca.