DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF UNDERWATER ROV

(REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE)

Under the Guidance of

Dr. Gautam Biswas

And
Dr. Karuna Kalita

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GUWAHATI

October 2016-February 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1

ii)
iii)

Introduction to Underwater ROV (Remotely Operated

Vehicle)
Motivation
Literature Survey

Chapter 2

i)
ii)
iii)

Project Plan
Team Structure
Cost Estimate

Chapter 3

Design

Chapter 4

i)

i)
ii)

Design Alternatives
Proposed Design

i)
ii)

Material Selection
Thrusters and ESCs

Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Solid Works analysis of Cylinder

Electrical Components
i)
ii)
iii)

Pixhawk
Raspberry Pi
Tether Cables

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction to ROV
Remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) are remote control underwater robots driven
by an individual on the surface. These robots are tethered by a series of wires that send signals
between the operator and the ROV. All ROVs are equipped with a video camera, propulsion
system, and lights. Other equipment is added depending on the specifications required. These
include a robotic arm, water sampler, instruments that measure clarity, light penetration,
temperature, and depth. Team Antahsagri was determined to create such an ROV in order to
fulfill a specific mission involving four separate tasks.

1.2 Motivation
Robotics Club of IIT Guwahati has worked on an amphibian bot which is capable of moving on land and
floating on water but it has never worked on an underwater ROV. Also, mechanical Department of IIT
Guwahati has a senior design project of an underwater ROV using torpedo model but it does not have
the facility of adding additional equipment like robotic arm. With that in mind, Team Antahsagri was
happy to be the first to take on the challenge of making an underwater ROV and build a frame that will
be able to mount extra modules which carry additional equipment depending on the need.

1.3 Literature Survey

There is not enough information as to say who invented the first ROV. Regardless of that, there
are two who deserve a lot of credit to the upbringing of this technology. The Programmed
Underwater Vehicle (PUV) was a torpedo developed by Luppis-Whitehead Automobile in
Austria in 1864, however, the first tethered ROV, named POODLE, was developed by Dimitri
Rebikoff in 1953. The U.S.A. NAVY has been recognized for advancing the technology to levels
of operation that could fit into recovering of objects lost during at-sea tests. In 1966 ROVs
became famous when US Navy Cable Controlled Underwater Recovery Vehicle (CURV) systems
recovered an atomic bomb lost off Palomares, Spain in an aircraft accident.

CHAPTER 2: PROJECT DETAILS

2.1 TENTATIVE PLAN

2.2 TEAM STRUCTURE

Team Leader: Shubham Tripathi (Civil Dept., 3rd year)

1) Shubham Pippal (Mechanical Dept., 3rd year)
2) Ajay Kumar (Mechanical Dept., 3rd year)
3) Arun V. Kammath (Mechanical Dept., 2nd year)
4) Meghdeep Jana (Mechanical Dept., 2nd year)
5) Albert Tomy (Mechanical Dept., 2nd year)
6) Vishal Agarwal (Electronics and Communication Dept., 2nd year )
7) Bishal Raj Gayan(Mechanical Dept,2nd year)
8) Abhinandan Gogoi (Mechanical Dept., 2nd year)
9) Abhishek Anand (Electronics and Communication Dept., 2nd year )
10) Kumar Rahul (Electronics and Communication Dept., 2nd year )

2.3 COST ESTIMATE

S.No.

COMPONENT

QUANTITY

COST PER UNIT

TOTAL COST

Thrusters

10721.51

53607.56

ABS Sheet

500

2,500

Water Tight Containers

2,000

4,000

Subsea LED Light

2,500

5,000

R-Pi Kit

6,000

6,000

Pi Camera

3,000

3,000

Pixhawk

15,000

15,000

Optical Cables

20,000

20,000

Nuts and Bolts

30

30

900

10

Controller

5,000

5,000

11

Batteries(24V,24000mAh) 6 (3 each)

500,1000

4,500

12

Intel NUC Kit NUC6i7KYK

Mini PC BOXNUC6I7KYK1

62,000

62,000

13

Waterproofing(Epoxy)

1,500

3,000

14

Ballast Weight

600

1,200

15

Buoyancy Foam

1000

2,000

TOTAL COST = Rs. 1,87,707/-

CH 3: DESIGN
3.1 ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS

Design Alternative 1

Fig1 Design Alternative 1

The first design that was observed is shown above in Figure 1. This design employs the usage of 2
legs at the bottom of the ROV that serve several purposes. The ability to insert lead rods into the
legs, and apply positively buoyant material at the top will always ensure that the ROV will remain
upright. Another purpose is that if the unit is operating on the ocean floor, it will be able to rest on
the ground while performing the predetermined duties. The last advantage would be to mount the
claws on these legs, which would be aligned right in front of the camera. This design also utilizes the
implementation of four thrusters. The two mounted horizontally in the wing will provide the ascent
and descent, while the other two mounted at the end of the wings will provide the maneuverability
in the horizontal plane. The main body material was not chosen for this alternative, but there were a
few materials that were considered. The first one was aluminum. Although aluminum is not
relatively expensive, machining all the parts would be. The other material was PVC. This material
was highly likely to be chosen due to the very low cost, and ease of availability. Not to mention that
it comes in many diameters with all types of fittings.

Design Alternative 2

Fig 2: Design Alternative 2

The second alternative of the design was to make it in the shape of a box. This setup follows the
traditional design of ROVs. The whole system would be enclosed in a cage with foam on the top,
weights on the bottom and all the electronics in the middle of the ROV such as Figure 2. Having a
box setup allows the components to be fixed on the cage, which makes it easier to construct and
increases stability. The robotic arm and weights would be placed on a plate at the bottom of the
cage followed by dividing the foam into four sections and placing them in specific locations above
the whole ROV to achieve the desired buoyancy. The camera together with the four thrusters would
be placed around the outside of the cage to balance each other out (the camera is located directly
above the robotic arm). All electrical components would be at the center, housed in a cylindrical
body for their protection. The materials considered to this design are the same as Design Alternative
1. ROVs constructed in this fashion are not as hydrodynamic as the Design Alternative 1, due to their
cage-like structure. Also this structure is considerably bigger than an ROV without the cage. On the
other hand, having the cage permits the addition of parts even after the ROV has been built and
used compared to an un-caged setup where the ROV can only carry the instruments it was designed
to.

3.2 PROPOSED DESIGN

Fig 3. Proposed Design

Fig 4: Top View

+
Fig 5: Side View

Fig 6: Front view

For the proposed design shown above, the team decided to combine both design alternatives. The goal
is to be as hydrodynamic as possible, but keeping the stability of the system and ability to add
components. This design would be compact meaning all the parts would be placed as close as possible
while leaving space for specific additions. A smaller ROV increases the maneuverability of the system
under water. The model will have a cylindrical body with a transparent dome in the front where the
camera will be located, a foam top and everything surrounded by a small, tight cage. The four thrusters
would be placed on the ROV frames (two for horizontal movement and two for vertical motions).
Components such as the robotic arm would be placed on the cage with the ability to be removed if
needed. For this design, the team plans to try the same type materials as the alternatives but would like
to experiment also with a body made up of ABS sheets. The idea is to calculate the buoyancy of the ROV
only by the components it will be carrying without considering the body.

ADVANTAGES:
The design considerations for the frame are:
Simplicity and rigidity.
Symmetry in thrusters distribution to minimize undesired reaction moments.
The vehicle should be nearly neutrally buoyant and the center of buoyancy should be placed above the
center of gravity to generate moment.
It would be possible to add extra module, for example the module for robotic arm with different endeffectors to the bottom of the side plates of the frame.

CHAPTER-4
MATERIAL SELECTION
The properties of the material used in the project are:
1) It is preferred to select the material whose density is near to water density for the frame
and buoyancy system in order to have a neutral buoyant vehicle.
2) Since some of the sensors work based on the Earth magnetic field, materials should
have low magnetic properties not to influence the output of the sensors.
3) Material should be resistive to water corrosion.
4) Easily available materials in market are used in this ROV.
5) Materials should be machined and formed easily to perform desired plan.

Material

Density(kg/mm3)

Youngs
modulus

Thermal
Conductivity(W/mc)

Used For

ABS

1.060E+003

2.890E+009

0.299

designing the frame of the

bot

PVC

1.400E+003

2.585E+009

1.785

For the construction of

cylindrical water tight
container

Bronze

8.874E+003

1.096E+011

62.000

-------

SS316
7.750E+003
(Stainless Steel)

2.067E+011

16.000

-------

Table 1: List of selected material and their properties

MAJOR COMPONENTS
1) THRUSTERS:
ROV uses motors and propellers to move itself through water. Such combination of motor and
propellers are called thrusters. Thrusters with cowling on them and specially shaped blades to
conform to the inside of the cowling are called Nozzles.
Propellers have certain characteristics to them, which indicate what should be the right
combination for the task and size of the ROV. These characteristics are as follows:
Hub: the center section of the propeller.
Blade Fillet: the radii defined by the transition of the blade faces into the hub.
Pressure Face: the forward face of the propeller blade.
Leading Edge: the blade edge adjacent to the forward end of the propeller hub.
Trailing Edge: the blade edge adjacent to the back end of the propeller hub.
Blade Tip: the blade edge on the outermost radius of the propeller.
Emitter Holes: holes drilled into a channel near the leading edge.
Two sets of numbers describe the size of the propeller to be used. These numbers are diameter
and the pitch. The diameter will always be first and then the pitch.
Diameter: Distance from the center of the hub to the tip of the blade times two.
Pitch: Pitch is defined as the theoretical forward movement of a propeller during one
revolution.
Cupping: Many of today's propellers incorporate a cup at the trailing edge of the propeller
blade. Its purpose is to give it a better grip on the water.
Rake: Rake is the degree that the blades slant forward or backwards in relation to the hub.
Rake can affect the flow of water through the propeller.
When choosing the motor, significant consideration was taken to ensure that the power is the
output of the motor. Thus, when having a big motor, it may draw sufficient current that could
reduce performance but will be able to operate at low efficiency. On the other hand, when it is
too small, the amount of thrust will be inadequate. After choosing a motor, the proper
propeller must be chosen for the task. When doing so, we must select the diameter of the

propeller to be bigger than the motor diameter. The pitch of the blade will depend on the
diameter and the rotational speed of the motor in RPMs. The width of the blade determines
the amount of water it pushes; thus lighter or thinner blades are used for higher speed
applications. Even though these characteristics will help us determine which combination will
be the most adequate for our scenario, the final combination will be chosen during
experimentation. After doing some research on the appropriate combination of propeller and
motor, T100 thruster was chosen, that will accommodate the necessities of the ROV.
The T100 Thruster is a proprietary underwater thruster designed specifically for marine
robotics. Its high performing with over 5 pounds of thrust and durable enough for use in the
open ocean at great depths. A variety of mounting options, simple control, and a low price tag
make it the perfect thruster to use on our marine robot.
Performance
Maximum Forward Thrust

2.36 kgf

Maximum Reverse Thrust

1.85 kgf

Minimum Thrust

0.01 kgf

Rotational Speed

300-4200 rev/min

Electrical
Operating Voltage

6-16 volts

Max Current

12.5 amps

Max Power

135 watts

Phase Resistance

0.24 +/- 0.01 Ohms

Phase Inductance (@ 1 kHz)

0.120 +/- 0.008 mH

Performance
Physical
Length (without BlueESC)

102 mm

Diameter

100 mm

Weight in Air (with 1m cable)(without BlueESC)

0.65 lb

Weight in Water (with 1m cable)(without BlueESC)

0.26 lb

Propeller Diameter

76 mm

Mounting Hole Threads

M3 x 0.5

Mounting Hole Spacing

19 mm

Cable Length

1.0 m

Cable Diameter

6.3 mm

Dimensions
T100 Thruster (without BlueESC)

ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLLERS (ESC)

An electronic speed control or ESC is an electronic circuit with the purpose to vary an electric
motor's speed, its direction and possibly also to act as a dynamic brake. ESCs are often used on
electrically powered radio controlled models, with the variety most often used for brushless
motors essentially providing an electronically generated three-phase electric power low voltage
source of energy for the motor.
An ESC can be a stand-alone unit which plugs into the receiver's throttle control channel or
incorporated into the receiver itself, as is the case in most toy-grade R/C vehicles. Some R/C
manufacturers that install proprietary hobby-grade electronics in their entry-level vehicles,
vessels or aircraft use onboard electronics that combine the two on a single circuit board.

Choosing an ESC.
When picking out and ESC there is one very key feature to look out for. That is the amperage
rating. Each motor will take a different amount of amps. Say I have a motor that pulls 10 amps. I
do not want to buy an ESC that is rated for 10 amps. I would want to get an ESC that is rated for
15 or 18 amps. It is always good to go higher. The higher amp-rated ESC you get the less heat
will be radiated

Electrical Connections
Connecting to an External ESC
The thruster has a cable containing three wires. These three wires must be connected to the
three motor wires on the electronic speed controller (ESC). The order does not matter, but if
the motor direction is the reverse of what is desired, switch two of the wires.
The three wires in the cable (green, white, blue) are always connected to the same motor
phases, so connecting the colors in a consistent fashion will result in all motors rotating in the
same direction.
The Basic ESC is a simple speed controller. It is the AfroESC 30A pre-programmed with custom
firmware that allows forward and backward operation.

Diagram

Specification Table
Electrical
Voltage

6-16.8 volts

Max Current

30 amps

Physical
Length

50 mm

2.0 in

Width

25 mm

1.0 in

Height

11 mm

0.45 in

Power Connectors

Male 3.5 mm bullet

Motor Connectors

Female 3.5 mm bullet

Signal Connector

3-pin servo connector (0.1 pitch) (ground,

5V, signal)

Pulse Width Signal

Signal Voltage

3.3-5 volts

Max Update Rate

400 Hz

Stopped

1500 microseconds

Max forward

1900 microseconds

Max reverse

1100 microseconds

Signal Deadband

+/- 25 microseconds (centered

around 1500 microseconds)

CH-5
SOLID WORKS ANALYSIS FOR CYLINDER
WITH ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
Solid works also offered us another alternative to determine the behavior of the material
under pressure. Since the only closed body of the ROV is the two cylindrical pipes of
PVC with the clear acrylic dome for storing electronic components and battery , this
would be the only area experiencing hydrostatic pressure. The area under analysis is
shown in the figure below

The robot will deform when squeezed by the sea water. Although when water pressure
increased to a certain value which still within the strength of material, the main cabin lost
symmetry due to the overlarge deformation. Therefore, the design of the main cabin should
guarantee the intensity and stability. In order to content the requirement of intensity and
stability of the shell when working underwater, we need to calculate the stress of the main
cabin.
The maximum working depth of the underwater robot is 20 meters. During the stress
calculation of the main cabin, we should determine the calculated load first. In order to
guarantee the main cabin still working while exceeding the work depth in a short time, this
article takes the limit depth ( hw=30m) as the calculation basis, which is deeper than the
working depth. Limit load is static water pressure relatively to the limit depth denoted by
Pw = hw = 0.0098hw = 0.009830=0.294 Mpa.
denotes unit weight of water. Because 30 meters under the sea belong to shallow water area,
the density of water has little change, so we take =9.8kN/m3.Strength calculation should have
appropriate intensity reservation, so calculation pressure:
Pc=kPw=1.40.294=0.4116 MPa
K denotes security coefficient, usually in the range of 1.25 to 1.5, this article takes 1.4.So the
positive pressure that the main cabin could endure when the robot working 30 meters
underwater is 0.4116 Mpa.

SOFTWARE
ArduSub
The ArduSub project is a fully-featured, open-source controller for remotely operated
underwater vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Based on the
popular ArduCopter code, the ArduSub code has extensive capabilities out of the box including
feedback stability control, depth and heading hold, and autonomous position control if
provided with position feedback.
ArduSub is designed to be safe, feature-rich, open-ended, and easy to use even for novice
users. It works seamlessly with Ground Control Station software that can monitor vehicle
telemetry and perform powerful mission planning activities. It also benefits from other parts of
the DroneCode platform, including simulators, log analysis tools, and higher level APIs for
vehicle management and control.
ArduSub is on the cutting edge of marine robotics and intended for those people who want to
try advanced technology, cutting edge software, and new capabilities. It can be used on many
different types of subsea vehicles including several configurations of ROVs.

Key Features

Feedback control and stability: Based on a multicopter autopilot system, the ArduSub
controller has accurate feedback control to actively maintain orientation.
Depth hold: Using pressure-based depth sensors, the ArduSub controller can maintain
depth within a few centimeters.
Heading hold: By default, the ArduSub automatically maintains its heading when not
commanded to turn.
Camera Tilt: Camera tilt control with servo or gimbal motors through the joystick or
gamepad controller.
Light Control: Control of subsea lighting through the joystick or gamepad controller.

No Programming Required: The ArduSub controller works for a variety of ROV configurations
without the need for any custom programming. Most parameters can be changed easily
through the ground control station.

CH-6
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS

Block Diagram Of Electrical Components

1. PIXHAWK AUTO-PILOT

PIXHAWK is a high-performance autopilot-on-module suitable for fixed wing, multi rotors,

helicopters, cars, boats and any other robotic platform that can move. It is targeted towards
high-end research, amateur and industry needs and combines the functionality of the PX4FMU
+ PX4IO.

Specifications
1. Processor

32-bit ARM Cortex M4 core with FPU

168 MHz/256 KB RAM/2 MB Flash
32-bit failsafe co-processor

2. Sensors

MPU6000 as main accel and gyro

ST Micro 16-bit gyroscope
ST Micro 14-bit accelerometer/compass (magnetometer)
MEAS barometer

3. Power

Ideal diode controller with automatic failover

Servo rail high-power (7 V) and high-current ready
All peripheral outputs over-current protected, all inputs ESD protected

4. Interfaces

5x UART serial ports, 1 high-power capable, 2 with HW flow control

Spectrum DSM/DSM2/DSM-X Satellite input
Futaba S.BUS input (output not yet implemented)
PPM sum signal
RSSI (PWM or voltage) input
I2C, SPI, 2x CAN, USB
3.3V and 6.6V ADC inputs

Pixhawk connector and Ports

Pixhawk PWM connectors for servos and ESCs and PPM-SUM

in and SBUS out

Pixhawk connector diagram

2. Raspberry PI

The Raspberry Pi is a small, barebones computer developed by The Raspberry Pi

Foundation, a UK charity. It is a credit card sized PC in a 45g SOC.Developed by pi
foundation from university of Cambridge, UK. Cheap with low driving power of 5W. Its
basic aim was to promote computer teaching aid for school going students.

Types of Variants

Specifications

Supply Voltage:5Volt
Weight:50gm
CPU:700MZ single core,ARMv6 processor
System On Chip(SOC):Broadcom BCM2835
Memory(RAM):512 MB
Storage : Micro SD card
USB ports:4
Network:10/100 Ethernet port
HDMI port: Transmit digitally audio and video files to compatible digital audio
device or computer monitor
Peripherals:40 pin GPIO

3. TETHER CABLES
PHYSICAL
ITEM

VALUE

Tether Diameter

7.6mm

Weight

0.43kg/m

Buoyancy in Fresh water

Neutral

Buoyancy in Salt water

Slightly Positive

Wire Gauge

26 AWG

Working strength

35 Kgf

Breaking Strength

155 Kgf

Minimum working bend diameter

20mm

The Fathom Tether is a high quality tether cable designed specifically for ROVs and other
subsea applications. It is neutrally buoyant, has 350 lb breaking strength, and is embedded with
water-blocking fibers to seal any leaks. The tether has a diameter of 7.6mm and is slimmer than
the vast majority of comparable ROV tethers. The core of the cable contains Kevlar strands for
strength and Dacron fibers for space filling. Both fibers are impregnated with water blocking
compound to block any leaks caused by nicks or rips in the cable. The high-visibility yellow
polyethylene foam jacket resists abrasion and provides neutral buoyancy. The stiffness of the
cable is designed to be flexible enough to give plenty of freedom to your ROV, but stiff enough
that
it
does
not
become
tangledeasily.

ELECTRICAL
ITEM

VALUE

DC resistance @ 20C

0.0386 /ft

Characteristic impedance @ 1MHZ

120

Capacitance @ 1KHz

16.5 pF/kft

Insulation resistance @ 500 VDC

>500 M/kft

Voltage rating (Twisted Pairs)

300 VDC

Voltage rating (Between Pairs)

600 VDC

Failsafe Mechanism - Antahsagiri

Failsafe mechanism is based on the fact that the density of the ROV is slightly less than that of
water. Magnetic Kill-Switches will cut off the electronics components from the power supply
when any one of the following sensors reach a value greater than an assigned threshold.
Sensors
1. Current Sensor to detect short circuit
2. Temperature sensor to detect overheating of electronic components
3. Water sensor to detect any water leaking in to the cylinder.

Kill
Switch

Processor

Battery Packs
(Power)

Sensors

Cooling System - Water Cooling

The ROV is being cooled using the water surrounding it. The components which require cooling
are the microprocessor and ESCs.
i) For microprocessor and ESC, Copper heat pipes which are in contact with the microprocessor
conduct heat from it. These copper pipes are then kept in contact with the water and cools the
microprocessor. Similar for ESCs with a heat conducting material in contact with the ESCs.
ii) The Cylindrical Hull is always in contact with the water at the surface. Hence, the cylinder is
kept cool with the water running over it.

Water