MIT Researchers Build Football-Sized Underwater Robot To Detect Concealed Contraband On Ships

Sampriti Bhattacharyya, a graduate student in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology along with her advisor Professor Harry Asada has developed a football-sized underwater robot that can inspect the bottom of ships for concealed contraband with help of ultrasound scan. The robot initially developed to inspect for cracks in nuclear reactors and water tanks has been modified to inspect ships for false hulls and propeller shafts, places where smugglers are likely to hide their contraband. The team presented the working prototype at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems and proposed an idea of a swarm of robots which would hide in water and inspect multiple ships arriving at a port.


Considering the unusual design, the team used 3D printers to construct the structural components of the robot. The half with the flattened panel has been made waterproof to protect the electrical components such as circuits, a rechargeable battery, a communications antenna, and an inertial measurement unit that consists of three accelerometers and three gyroscopes. The other half is a permeable one and houses the propulsion system of the robot. The propulsion system of the robot consists of six pumps that expel water through rubber tubes. The water-based propulsion system is noteworthy because unlike conventional propulsion systems such as propellers, the system aboard this robot does not leave visible bubble trails as it moves underwater. Since no part of the propulsion system is outside the main structure it can be hid under clumps of algae without the fear of any tangling. Both of the aforementioned characteristics help the robot to inspect the ships without being spotted.


While inspecting the hull of ship or a boat, two of the six pumps vent towards the opposite side of the flattened panel to press it against the surface which it is inspecting. The remaining pumps vent water in tubes to control the movement of the robot. The team admits that the elliptical shape makes the robot quite unstable but on the other hand it facilitates quick manoeuvres. The robot has been programmed with a control algorithm that receives signals from the on-board motion sensors and corrects the direction and speed depending on the environment.


In its prototype stage the robot is powered by a lithium battery that lasts for 40 minutes on a single charge. In later stages, the team is planning to put in a bigger battery that would last for a hundred hours and can be charged wirelessly. The team is still working out the rough edges with the ultrasound scanning which requires the robot to be at a specific distance from the hull as ultrasound requires the emitter to be in direct contact with the surface or at a distance which is multiple of the wavelength of sound. The team is expecting the robot to be priced at around $600 when it makes its way into the consumer market.

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