Invention:
This technology includes hardware and software interfaces to control a robot that may be operated by a diver while underwater, or in submerged spaces or habitats, without a connection to the surface. The invention can reduce the operational complexity from tether management and may also enhance the synergistic capabilities of the robot.
Background:
Most subsea robotics currently on the market are frequently deployed from the surface and communicated with via hardwired tethers or wirelessly through acoustic signal transmission. In contrast to this, divers need SCUBA equipment and training to operate underwater.
Divers and underwater robots have operated in parallel, though it is not a common practice to interface for the purpose of enhancing those capabilities and addressing the current limitations of their parallel operation either as an independent system or as a technique. Humans can only operate during a limited time underwater compared to robots, which can operate underwater without physiological limitations.
Applications:
- Underwater autonomous robots
- Submerged spaces
- Submerged habitats
Advantages:
- Can be used in submerged spaces or while diving
- Doesn’t need a connection to the surface
- Reduces the operational complexity from tether management
- Allows for enhanced capabilities
