Underwater Robot with a Buoyancy Control System Based on the Spermaceti Oil Hypothesis

Shibuya, Kazuo; Kado, Yuichi; Honda, Suguru; Iwamoto, Taro; Tsutsumi, Keisuke

doi:10.1109/iros.2006.282236

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The major open research problem for these mechanisms is reducing weight, bulk, and noise (9). One system heats and cools wax or oil to change its buoyancy (43,44). However, this has a slow response time, especially when cooling the medium.…”

Section: Background and Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploration of underwater life with an acoustically controlled soft robotic fish

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Closeup exploration of underwater life requires new forms of interaction, using biomimetic creatures that are capable of agile swimming maneuvers, equipped with cameras, and supported by remote human operation. Current robotic prototypes do not provide adequate platforms for studying marine life in their natural habitats. This work presents the design, fabrication, control, and oceanic testing of a soft robotic fish that can swim in three dimensions to continuously record the aquatic life it is following or engaging. Using a miniaturized acoustic communication module, a diver can direct the fish by sending commands such as speed, turning angle, and dynamic vertical diving. This work builds on previous generations of robotic fish that were restricted to one plane in shallow water and lacked remote control. Experimental results gathered from tests along coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean show that the robotic fish can successfully navigate around aquatic life at depths ranging from 0 to 18 meters. Furthermore, our robotic fish exhibits a lifelike undulating tail motion enabled by a soft robotic actuator design that can potentially facilitate a more natural integration into the ocean environment. We believe that our study advances beyond what is currently achievable using traditional thruster-based and tethered autonomous underwater vehicles, demonstrating methods that can be used in the future for studying the interactions of aquatic life and ocean dynamics.

show abstract

Section: Background and Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploration of underwater life with an acoustically controlled soft robotic fish

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although we built devices with other mechanisms with piston and rubber stretching [10,11], we cannot directly compare their results because we used different paraffin wax masses. However, the cooling and heating times were reduced by decreasing the mass of the paraffin wax.…”

Section: Metal Bellows and Othermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We tested two types. One is a syringe and piston mechanism, and the other is a mechanism that exploits rubber stretching [10,11]. However, they have some disadvantages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Volume Change Mechanism Using Metal Bellows for Buoyancy Control Device of Underwater Robots

Shibuya

Yoshii

2013

ISRN Robotics

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We propose a new volume change mechanism using a metal bellows for a buoyancy control device of underwater robots and vehicles. Our proposed buoyancy control method utilizes the volume change caused by the phase-change of materials. We chose paraffin wax as a phase-change material because its volume change exceeds other candidates. Our proposed device consists of a metal bellows and an aluminum housing that contains paraffin wax and water. The paraffin wax is heated and cooled by a nichrome wire and a peltier device. We conducted two experiments and confirmed that the heat sink in the aluminum housing increases the speed of the buoyancy change and that the thickness of the air layer is crucial for efficient insulating. Then, we built a prototype robot with the four devices and confirmed that the robot can change its buoyancy up to its maximum value.

show abstract

“…In recent years, scientists are exploring some novel phase-change buoyancy regulation devices, such as temperature difference variable buoyancy regulation [ 10 ], memory metal variable buoyancy regulation [ 11 ], and solid–liquid variable buoyancy regulation [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Phase-change buoyancy adjustment device has obvious advantages in the small underwater vehicle; therefore, we have noticed a new buoyancy regulation method based on paraffin phase transition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Experiments of an Electrothermal Driven Deep-Sea Buoyancy Control Module

Hou

Zou

et al. 2020

Micromachines

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Due to the extremely high pressures in the deep sea, heavy ballast tanks and pressure compensating hydraulic tanks are typically required to support the operation of classic buoyancy controls. Buoyancy control systems driven by phase-change materials (PCM) have unique advantages over conventional hydraulically actuated buoyancy control systems, including high adaptability for deep-sea exploration and simple, lightweight, and compact structures. Inspired by this, a buoyancy control module (BCM) was designed with flexible material as the shell. Instead of a conventional mechanical system, the device uses an electric heating drive to control buoyancy by heating and cooling the PCM. Based on the principle of pressure compensation, this device can adjust the buoyancy of a small underwater vehicle in a deep-sea high-pressure environment. The BCM successfully adjusts the buoyancy to lift itself up and down in the South China Sea at a depth of 3223 m. The performance of the phase-change BCM to control buoyancy under high pressure is validated by systematic experiments and theoretical analysis. Our work proposes a flexible scheme for the design of a deep-sea phase-change-driven BCM and highlights its potential application in deep-sea micro-mechanical systems, especially soft robots.

show abstract

Underwater Robot with a Buoyancy Control System Based on the Spermaceti Oil Hypothesis

Cited by 12 publications

References 4 publications

Exploration of underwater life with an acoustically controlled soft robotic fish

Exploration of underwater life with an acoustically controlled soft robotic fish

New Volume Change Mechanism Using Metal Bellows for Buoyancy Control Device of Underwater Robots

Development and Experiments of an Electrothermal Driven Deep-Sea Buoyancy Control Module

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About