TritonZ: A Remotely Operated Underwater Rover with Manipulator Arm for Exploration and Rescue Operations

TL;DR

TritonZ is a semi-wireless underwater rover with a manipulator arm designed for exploration and rescue, capable of real-time environmental sensing, live video streaming, and performing complex underwater tasks.

Contribution

This paper introduces TritonZ, a novel semi-wireless underwater vehicle with a manipulator arm, optimized for effective exploration and rescue operations in challenging underwater environments.

Findings

Successfully performed underwater exploration and rescue tasks

Maintained an average speed of 13.5cm/s with minimal delay

Able to sustain waves and maintain position underwater

Abstract

The increasing demand for underwater exploration and rescue operations enforces the development of advanced wireless or semi-wireless underwater vessels equipped with manipulator arms. This paper presents the implementation of a semi-wireless underwater vehicle, "TritonZ" equipped with a manipulator arm, tailored for effective underwater exploration and rescue operations. The vehicle's compact design enables deployment in different submarine surroundings, addressing the need for wireless systems capable of navigating challenging underwater terrains. The manipulator arm can interact with the environment, allowing the robot to perform sophisticated tasks during exploration and rescue missions in emergency situations. TritonZ is equipped with various sensors such as Pi-Camera, Humidity, and Temperature sensors to send real-time environmental data. Our underwater vehicle controlled using a customized remote controller can navigate efficiently in the water where Pi-Camera enables live streaming of the surroundings. Motion control and video capture are performed simultaneously using this camera. The manipulator arm is designed to perform various tasks, similar to grasping, manipulating, and collecting underwater objects. Experimental results shows the efficacy of the proposed remotely operated vehicle in performing a variety of underwater exploration and rescue tasks. Additionally, the results show that TritonZ can maintain an average of 13.5cm/s with a minimal delay of 2-3 seconds. Furthermore, the vehicle can sustain waves underwater by maintaining its position as well as average velocity. The full project details and source code can be accessed at this link: https://github.com/kawser-ahmed-byte/TritonZ