TEKNIK ELEKTRONIKA

A waterproof controller designed and built by researchers at York University (Canada) enables unique tetherless control of an underwater robot called AQUA. An amphibious, otter-like robot, AQUA is small and nimble, with flippers rather than propellers, and designed for intricate data collection from shipwrecks and reefs.

 

Cutting the cord on underwater robots has been a longstanding challenge for scientists; water interferes with radio signals, hindering conventional wireless communication. Tethered communication is cumbersome and can create safety issues for divers. The new controller avoids these difficulties by using optical communication and allows divers to control the robot directly in the water.

 

The AQUA robot can be controlled without a tether by the waterproof AQUATablet controller developed at York University. While underwater, divers can program the tablet to display tags onscreen, similar to barcodes read by smartphones. The robot's on-board camera scans these two-dimensional tags to receive and carry out commands. 

 

The AQUATablet is watertight to a depth of 60 feet. The tablet computer is enclosed by an aluminium housing with a clear acrylic cover and can be controlled by a diver using toggle switches and on-screen prompts. The tablet also allows divers to command the robot much as if they were using a video game joystick: turn the tablet to the right and AQUA turns right, too. In this mode, the robot is connected to the tablet by a length of slender optical cable, which is more nimble that a conventional underwater-to-surface tether. The optical cable also allows AQUA to provide video feedback from its camera to the operator.

 

Image: York University

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