A Compliant-Rigid Underwater Manipulator for Enhanced Safety and Precision Performance

This paper presents an innovative design of a hybrid compliant-rigid underwater manipulator that is capable of performing intervention operations underwater with high safety and precision by instantly shifting it’s joint-compliance. To analyze the responses of the said system, a mathematical model of the system is developed, which is used to simulate the system’s responses for different loading conditions. A PD control law is developed to maintain the position of the link at a desired value and to suppress its vibrations under the influence of hydrodynamic forces and environmental disturbances. Simulations are performed to analyze the safety and precision performance of the proposed manipulator system for compliant and rigid joint configurations.