eROV: Preliminary Design of 5 DOF ROV using 6 Thrusters Configuration

Recently, innovation in the technologies has been driven by the need of a flexible, reconfigurable, and reliable machine for under water operation termed as Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Development of the ROV has opened many opportunities for exploring and make the better understanding of our underwater environment. Degree of freedom is an important aspect in ROV in enabling the flexibility of the movement during its maneuver underwater. This paper proposes the design of a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) with 5 DOF using multi-thrusters configuration. Since the horizontal movement of the proposed ROV needs more flexibility, thus in this design 4 thrusters are situated to handle movement of the ROV in the horizontal plane, and the remaining 2 thrusters are handling the vertical plane movement. To get better understanding about the underwater environment, several sensors are needed to be deployed in the ROV. The proposed ROV design already accommodates the sensors planned to be installed in the vehicle when designing the mechanical model of the ROV. Finally, the proposed mechanical design and the dynamic model of the ROV have been presented for its future development process.