2022 R5 IEEE Robotics Competition

Team Name

The Drowning Robots

Timeline

Fall 2021 – Spring 2022

Students

Name	Major
Joanne Mathew	BSCpE
Apar Pokhrel	BSCS
Hunter Redhead	BSCS
Sean Walter	BSCpE

Sponsor

Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The University of Texas at Arlington

Abstract

The Drowning Robot is an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) which is capable of performing dive/submerge, and travel maneuvers underwater. The ROV uses a network of ballast tanks in conjunction with solenoid valves to facilitate the dive/submerge functions. In order to regulate power usage throughout the circuit as well as to switch between components, a two 8×8 relay setups are used. In order to manage the various maneuvers, an Arduino Mega is used to control the various hardware systems throughout the robot. The ROV utilizes two underwater thrusters ( one CW and the other CCW ) which are mounted along the sides anchored through a frame. These thrusters allow the ROV to propel forwards, turn and perform other maneuvers as required.

A React JS web app was created to serve as a controller for the robot. It uses HTTP requests to interact with a Python HTTP server being hosted by a Raspberry Pi 4 onboard the robot. The Python HTTP server is also responsible for then relaying those requests to the Arduino Mega in the form of 1-byte commands. From there, the Arduino Mega is responsible for parsing the byte into two separate parts in order to interpret the action it needs to perform. Another Python HTTP server is also hosted on the Raspberry Pi 4 to stream live video from the Raspberry Pi Camera Module for the pilots on a separate web page.

Background

The main purpose behind building the ROV was an opportunity to participate in the 2022 IEEE Region 5 Robotics Competition in Houston. The main objective of the competition was to demonstrate the use of a ROV to collect ‘trash’ from the ocean floor, midwater, and surface (using a swimming pool was a concept). The ROV would deposit the trash in a proper receptacle while guiding itself through industrial infrastructure and underwater debris. The complete ruleset and the information regarding the game field layout and other requirements can be found here.

The ROV was designed to fit the requirements of the competition but was later re-designed to support some of the essential functionalities.

Project Requirements

Following are the top 10 highest priority requirements:

The ROV shall be waterproof in an underwater environment.
The ROV shall be capable of executing a required set of tasks for the IEEE Competition.
The ROV shall be capable of diving, submerging and travel in/on an aqueous environment.
The weight of the ROV must be under 30 pounds and the dimensions of the body should not exceed 20” x 20” x 20”.
The total cost of the critical parts shall not exceed a total sum cost of $2,000.00.
The ROV shall have a level of vision capability under and above water.
The ROV must be able to lift a weight up to 3 pounds.
The ROV shall have a controller interface.
The robot must not be built with any explosives or volatile liquids and should not have any volatile emissions. Chemical batteries are allowed only with proper use and handling.
The ROV shall adhere to safety standards in terms of fabrication, circuit design, operation, and usage.

System Overview

The Drowning Robot has four main system: External Component System, HMI/Controller system, Sensors System, and Movement System, each having sub-systems which are tasked with different functionalities and equipped with a varied level of capabilities.

The Human Interface / Controller layer is the layer responsible for taking user input, delivering it to the
robot and using that data to interact with the hardware. It is also responsible for feeding data such as
video data from the robot to the user. It uses a React JS webpage. The sensor system is composed of the camera system. The camera system is responsible for providing the user with live video from both the front and back of the robot. The Movement system is responsible for the operation on/under the water surface. The ballast tank system was used in conjunction with two sets of thrusters. The ballast tank system made out of PVC pipes includes 16 varying valves and a pump for functional purposes of floating and submerging. The Backend layer is the layer responsible for taking HTTP requests from the controller and then relaying the commands to the microcontroller. It sends commands to the microcontroller through the serial port. The backend also hosts the server for streaming the video feed from the camera to the controller.

Results

Due to time and other constraints, we were not successfully able to participate in the IEEE Robotics Competition. However, we managed to finish building the ROV. Here are some pictures that show the design, build and circuitry of the ROV.