Research

Hercules

• One of the few ROVS designed specifically for scientific research
• Built for the IFE (Institute For Exploration)
• Max depth 4000 meters ( 2.5 miles)
• Pair of manipulator arms attached to front of it
• One of the arms is force-reflective meaning the operator feels the forces acting upon it
• Carries an array of cameras ( some HD) and acoustic devices
• Aluminum frame
• Hydraulic thrusters control movement
• syntactic foam allows the ROV to be just a little buoyant but it only requires a small thrust downwards to descend
• operated via fiber-optic cable
• can move in any direction

Robotic Arm

• Servo motors cannot exceed 180 degrees of motion
• Understanding in staics and dynamics need to help program arm
• Force calculations are for motor selection
• First draw a Free Body Diagram (FBD) ( seen right)
• Label all weights and force on it
• The more degrees of freedom the more complicated the calculations
• Make sure arm is reinforced and lightweight
• Keep heaviest components closest to arm base
• DOF are important

Newman, Jim. "Hercules (ROV) and Friends." Ocean Explorer. 24 Feb 2006. NOAA. 31 Aug 2007 http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/subs/hercules/welcome.html.
"Robot Arm Tutorial." Society of Robots. 2007. 1 Sep 2007 http://www.societyofrobots.com/robot_arm_tutorial.shtml.