Football-size robot can skim discreetly along a ship’s hull to seek hollow compartments concealing contraband
Last week, at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, MIT researchers unveiled an oval-shaped submersible robot, a little smaller than a football, with a flattened panel on one side that it can slide along an underwater surface to perform ultrasound scans.
Originally designed to look for cracks in nuclear reactors’ water tanks, the robot could also inspect ships for the false hulls and propeller shafts that smugglers frequently use to hide contraband. Because of its small size and unique propulsion mechanism — which leaves no visible wake — the robots could, in theory, be concealed in clumps of algae or other camouflage. Fleets of them could swarm over ships at port without alerting smugglers and giving them the chance to jettison their cargo.
“It’s very expensive for port security to use traditional robots for every small boat coming into the port,” says Sampriti Bhattacharyya, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, who designed the robot together with her advisor, Ford Professor of Engineering Harry Asada. “If this is cheap enough — if I can get this out for $600, say — why not just have 20 of them doing collaborative inspection? And if it breaks, it’s not a big deal. It’s very easy to make.”
Indeed, Bhattacharyya built the main structural components of the robot using a 3-D printer in Asada’s lab. Half of the robot — the half with the flattened panel — is waterproof and houses the electronics. The other half is permeable and houses the propulsion system, which consists of six pumps that expel water through rubber tubes.
Two of those tubes vent on the side of the robot opposite the flattened panel, so they can keep it pressed against whatever surface the robot is inspecting. The other four tubes vent in pairs at opposite ends of the robot’s long axis and control its locomotion.
The Latest on: Underwater robot
via Google News
The Latest on: Underwater robot
- ETSU hosts fifth annual underwater robotics competitionon May 14, 2022 at 9:37 am
East Tennessee State University hosted an underwater robotics competition on Saturday. The competition was called the ‘MATE Appalachian Highlands Super Regional’ and more than 300 high school and ...
- St. Vrain Valley Schools to host underwater robotics tournamenton May 13, 2022 at 11:30 am
NEWS RELEASE ST. VRAIN VALLEY SCHOOLS ************************* Saturday, May 14 from 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Innovation Center will host a MATE Rocky Mountain ...
- Researchers Develop New Method Using Machine Learning to Model the Dynamics of Underwater Stingray Robotson May 12, 2022 at 8:58 am
Researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) used Machine Learning to develop a new technique for modeling the dynamics of underwater stingray-like robots. (a) CAD model ...
- SVVSD Innovation Center hosts underwater robotics competitionon May 12, 2022 at 5:00 am
St. Vrain Valley School District’s Innovation Center is hosting an underwater robotics competition from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the district’s Aquatic Center.
- Teaching underwater stingray robots to swim faster and with greater precision using machine learningon May 11, 2022 at 1:40 pm
Researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) developed a new approach to model the dynamics of underwater stingray-like robots using Machine Learning.
- Underwater robot competition scheduled in Tennesseeon May 10, 2022 at 11:20 pm
May 11—JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — More than 300 high school and middle school students will compete at East Tennessee State University here on Saturday with underwater robots at the Appalachian Highlands ...
- Underwater map-making robot aces first real-world trials in crowded marinaon May 10, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have developed an underwater robot capable of simultaneously mapping its environment, tracking its own location, and planning safe routes through complex ...
- Underwater robotics super regional set at ETSU this weekendon May 9, 2022 at 11:00 am
JOHNSON CITY — On Saturday, more than 300 high school and middle school students will participate in a competition featuring underwater robots at East Tennessee State University. The event is the ...
- Underwater robot collecting ‘never-seen-before' hurricane informationon May 5, 2022 at 8:08 am
In the name of scientific research, special underwater robots have been through quite an adventure, traveling far and wide and collecting information in every ocean since their deployment more than ...
- Local Youth Underwater Robotics Team Qualifies for 2022 International Seaperch Challenge, Seeking Donations to Help Cover Travel Expenseson May 4, 2022 at 11:37 am
CLARKSTON - The local ECH Science Underwater Robotics team has once again qualified for the International Seaperch Challenge! The team, which is currently made up of three members (Ella, Claire and ...
via Bing News