Underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are submersible vehicles used for exploring aquatic habitats. Dimitri Rebikoff a pioneer of underwater photography is credited for the development of the first ROV, Poodle, in the modern sense of an ROV. [6].
Around the 1960 the U.S. navy funded the development of ROVs to salvage objects in the ocean; the oil and industry also use ROVs to develop offshore oil fields. As the ocean industries and studies become more developed ROVs are more frequently used and design for numerous task.
ROVs are used by oceanographers to study deep sea marine life; marine life that was generally unknown to oceanographers can now be observed in their natural habitat. The development of ROVs has resulted in modern oceanographer’s deep sea research. Oceanographers use ROV as an inexpensive alternative for studying marine life as opposed to using only acoustic and/or photographic imaging devices for deep sea observations [8]. ROVs were used for discovering hydrothermal vents in the oceans, and are equipped with acoustic and imagining systems for detailed observations of life topography of the sea floor [1].
ROV sizes can vary based on the task they are designed to complete; micro ROVs are typically used for surveying the insides of pipes, and going into areas that are humans can’t reach. Larger ROVs are used for salvaging objects and other submersible vehicles. ROVs use a tether system to supply power to the many payloads (the equipment that requires energy to do work); this tether is also used to connect the ROV a surface control unit. ROVs can be broken into two groups, observation and working class ROVs [3].
The type of ROV my experiment focuses on are small ROVs or low-cost ROVs, which are ROVs that are low cost and don’t require a crew to operate. These ROVs are powered by batteries, or a portable generator which supplies power to all the payloads (equipment that requires power to do work) attached to the ROV. The problem with low-cost ROVs is the batteries of the payloads often need to be replaced or charged making small ROVs impractical for long term usage. [7].
When designing an underwater ROV several variables need to be considered. Material need to be able to withstand water pressures while maintaining the ability to be buoyant. Additional factors that must be considered are size, aerodynamics to reduce drag and increase efficiency of the battery power source.
This study used a battery for the primary power source. The size of the battery dictates the size of the motors. The power of the motors will influence the maneuverability and duration of the dives for the ROV.
The purpose of this project is to construct a small scale renewable underwater ROV, and implementing a portable solar panel into the ROV. The expected result was that the operation time of the ROV will be extended due to the solar panels charging the batteries as the ROV runs. Solar energy was harnessed using solar cells which transfer the solar energy into usable power for the ROV. By attaching a solar panel that supplies more power than needed to the ROV battery, the ROV should theoretically run, while charging the battery as long as there is sunlight.
