Scion
This is an AUV that was designed for the Robosub competition. I led its design and fabrication to improve several of Perseverance’s capabilities.
It incorporates the use of a tilting camera system housed by an acrylic dome, as opposed to Perseverance, where separate static cameras were used to provide forward and downward vision. This new vision system eliminates the blind spot between the two static cameras. It also has a smaller size and weight, making it easier to transport. Additionally, a vectored thruster configuration eases the load on the thrusters, and a reduced external frame provides more specific mounting locations for components, as opposed to Perseverance's bulky frame. This design keeps the Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) near the center of the vehicle's belly, and the windows on the top were also kept for swimmers to be able to monitor the electronics' status.
The most important improvements pertain to water leak protection. I designed a custom pneumatics manifold to form a watertight seal with the outer surface of the vehicle, allowing all air hoses to be on the outside of the AUV. This protects the vehicle's internals in the event of a pneumatics leak, which could bring water into the AUV. Additionally, the expensive DVL now features two radial o-ring seals for protection in case water still manages to get into the enclosure.
To manufacture Scion's aluminum components, I spent several weeks in a machine shop during the summer to learn, use, and teach others how to operate a 3-Axis CNC mill to create holes, pockets, and contours. I manually programmed the mill and imported DXF files into it to create the various tool paths I needed.
I also wrote the Mechanical Systems section of a journal paper submitted to the Robosub Competition for judging. This vehicle and its journal entry earned the team 4th place out of 33 teams.
It incorporates the use of a tilting camera system housed by an acrylic dome, as opposed to Perseverance, where separate static cameras were used to provide forward and downward vision. This new vision system eliminates the blind spot between the two static cameras. It also has a smaller size and weight, making it easier to transport. Additionally, a vectored thruster configuration eases the load on the thrusters, and a reduced external frame provides more specific mounting locations for components, as opposed to Perseverance's bulky frame. This design keeps the Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) near the center of the vehicle's belly, and the windows on the top were also kept for swimmers to be able to monitor the electronics' status.
The most important improvements pertain to water leak protection. I designed a custom pneumatics manifold to form a watertight seal with the outer surface of the vehicle, allowing all air hoses to be on the outside of the AUV. This protects the vehicle's internals in the event of a pneumatics leak, which could bring water into the AUV. Additionally, the expensive DVL now features two radial o-ring seals for protection in case water still manages to get into the enclosure.
To manufacture Scion's aluminum components, I spent several weeks in a machine shop during the summer to learn, use, and teach others how to operate a 3-Axis CNC mill to create holes, pockets, and contours. I manually programmed the mill and imported DXF files into it to create the various tool paths I needed.
I also wrote the Mechanical Systems section of a journal paper submitted to the Robosub Competition for judging. This vehicle and its journal entry earned the team 4th place out of 33 teams.
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