Alternate Solutions

Alternate Solutions

Of the solutions that I came up with during the brainstorming period are viable and good solutions. the few that I have deemed to have these qualities are now my alternate solutions.

The first alternate solution is the triangular prism shaped ROV. This offers a decent amount of stability and is a very viable shape. There are several problems however. First it is hard to find parts in any material for this shape. Another problem is that it would be very hard to find good spots to put the motors and claw onto to attach them.

Another solution choice is to make an ROV in a cylindrical shape. This shape is a very difficult one to support. It has some stability and is not to hard to find parts for, but it has the same problem as the triangular one in that it would be hard to attach appendages and motors to it.

The next two solutions are very similar. They are a cube shape and a rectangular prism shape. These two are the most viable ones because of the fact that they are very, very sturdy and have plenty of places to mount items onto. These two also have parts that are very easy to find and are not too expensive (depending on the material). On the right I have provided the drawings with dimensions of the rectangular prism shape that I have thought is the most viable choice.

Another part of the alternate solutions that is important are the materials that will be used in creating the main body and mounting pieces for the ROV. Some of my options include the obvious PVC piping, wood, and metal. PVC is a very viable option. It has been used in the past and is very reliable and sturdy. Wood is a hard choice to go with because, while it light be sturdy and relatively cheap, it is hard to make it buoyant in the right way so that it could submerge easily. Metal is also another very viable option because it is very sturdy and can be used to easily have items attached to it. The problem; however, is that it can be expensive, hard to obtain, and it is not easy to work with unless you have the proper tools.

Specifications and Limitations

Specifications and Limitations

The solution must be able to support every component on it plus the payload

• ·      Limited to lightweight, waterproof, durable material
• ·      Limited to workable materials like PVC, wood, plastic, metal
• ·      Limited to material that can be hollowed out to hold electronics
• ·      Limited to tools in workshop
• ·      Limited with capital

The solution must be able to withstand the water and force of pressure

• ·      Limited to workable materials like PVC, wood, plastic
• ·      Limited to being neutrally buoyant
• ·      Limited to tools in workshop
• ·      Limited with capital

The solution must have the ability to submerge and resurface in the water

• ·      Limited to workable materials
• ·      Limited to tools in workshop
• ·      Limited with motors that can be used
• ·      Limited with capital
• ·      Limited to being neutrally buoyant

The solution must be able to be fitted with equipment such as cameras and devices

• ·      Limited to materials
• ·      Limited to tools in workshop
• ·      Limited to space on body
• ·      Limited to being neutrally buoyant
• ·      Limited to types of attaching methods
• ·      Limited to being able to withstand rough conditions

The solution has to be built and tested in the time allotted (next year)

• ·      Limited to materials
• ·      Limited to time
• ·      Limited to tools in workshop
• ·      Limited to the intricacy of the design
• ·      Limited to the skills and knowledge each of us have
• ·      Limited to methods for building chassis

Brainstorming

Brainstorming

To start formulating designs for the problem or situation, it was time to do some brainstorming to see what i could come up with.

Designs and Shapes


There were several shapes i was considering doing. First there is the always reliable rectangular prism shape. This shape allows for the best stability and is the shape used most often.

The next shape is the triangular prism shape. This shape is another shape similar to the rectangular one in that it is very stable.

The other shape I considered was a cylindrical shape. This is a stable shape however it is not a good choice for several reasons I will explain later.







Materials


There are many materials I could chose to go with for this ROV project. The most used and reliable material is PVC piping. As shown it is cheap and easy to work with. Another material to use is wood. Wood is an interesting choice in the way that it would be hard to make it submerge as wood is naturally very buoyant. Bamboo is another choice i considered because it is a very sturdy material to some degree but it would have the same problems that wood has. Another very viable choice would be to use thin metal tubing and sheets. This is a good choice be cause it is very sturdy and durable but it can cost a large amount for large quantities of it.







Mounting Options




Another part of the project I have to consider is the mounting of the claw and motors onto the main body of the ROV. The choices I have for mounting them are metal, plastic, and maybe even acrylic. For mounting the motors I can use screws and bolts to attach them directly to the side of the main body.

Background Information

Background Information

Background Information and Design Brief

            The problem at hand is creating a robot to perform a certain task in a pool using the technology our group uses to make the robot. The task has not been determined yet however the main chassis can be modified for virtually any task presented to us. Our group will each be tasked with a certain part of the ROV and will prepare each part in unison to make the building process go faster and easier. This will allow the ROV and our group time to make any necessary modifications to the robot as needed.         Neptune community pool, our testing center

            Three main designers are involved in this process: the mechanical engineer, the electrical engineer, and the appendage engineer (claw or device designer). Each has a main, separate roll in this project. The mechanical engineer will design the chassis or body of the ROV. The electrical engineer will do all of the wiring and circuitry of the vessel. The claw designer will design the device and how it will be attached to the vessel. Any company, private or public will use this; to perform tasks that they don’t find fit to use a human.

            This must be addressed so that people (humans) will not go into harms way and instead use a robot to do the work. This includes research, rescue missions, and other tasks deemed unsafe for humans to perform.  This will in turn save many lives. The stakeholders involved would be business men who need an ROV to do work that they have but will not sent a human to do because of the risk or other reasons. It could also be schools or university’s as well looking for the next best thing. Research ROV shown here                                                     

            The mood should be a happy one. It I exciting to have something like a specialized robot to do a task so you don’t have to. This will make people happy because of this great innovation that will provide an alternative solution for problems that a human should not have to do all by him or herself. Not many products that are on the market do quite the same things ROVs can do. Some may include UAVs used by the military or even assembly line machine except for the fact that they cannot move.

all taken from Google images

            The problem is to create an ROV robot to perform a certain task given to us by our instructors. We must create the ROV with three jobs: the mechanical engineer in charge of the main body or chassis construction, the electrical engineer in charge of doing the wiring and circuitry of the ROV, and the device engineer in charge of designing and building the appendage or device used by the ROV and how it will attach to the main chassis. This problem is an easy on to tackle with the support of a few investors or stakeholder to support the project. 

Design Briefs (Team and Individual)

Design Briefs

Design Brief: Group

            Design, develop, and produce an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) to complete a task in a 13’ deep pool created by both ROV teams so that a person does not have to perform this dangerous or harmful task and put themselves in harms way.

Design Brief: Mechanical Engineering Portion

            Design, develop, and produce the body or main chassis or the ROV that will complete the certain task created by both ROV teams so that it can be outfitted with the devices or appendages and all of the wiring and circuitry needed so that the ROV can complete the task successfully.