Brief
Discover how Dartmouth researchers are developing ground-breaking aquatic robots to tackle challenges in shallow coastal construction projects, using a unique buoyancy system to optimise energy usage and enhance efficiency.
Insight
Construction projects in shallow coastal areas, such as aquaculture, offshore wind energy, and seawall installations, face unique challenges due to harsh environments and constant waves.
Dartmouth researchers are addressing these difficulties by developing aquatic robots capable of underwater construction. Samuel Lensgraf, a computer science PhD student, works with professors Alberto Quattrini Li and Devin Balkcom to design a construction process resilient to errors caused by difficult conditions.
Their method involves inserting custom-made cones through holes in concrete building blocks, allowing the next layer of blocks to slide into place over the cones. This interlocking system ensures precise stacking even if blocks are disturbed by waves. The team designed an aquatic robot from scratch to work with this system, with Lensgraf handling the fabrication and engineering.
The prototype, tested in a 13-foot-deep swimming pool, can build structures using 12 components weighing over 200 pounds. The robot’s core features a claw-like manipulator, inspired by traditional stone grabbers, which exploit the weight of objects to tighten their grasp. To address power limitations, the robot uses battery power and buoyancy boost from compressed air. A scuba tank releases pressurized air into four chambers surrounding the robot, lifting it and its load.
Lensgraf developed an algorithm to determine the optimal air usage for lifting, moving, and releasing tasks to maximize the number of blocks that can be picked up and placed. This makes it the first construction robot to use buoyancy for movement, which will be presented at the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.
Despite these advancements, further work is required before ocean field tests can commence. Lensgraf is already focusing on additional upgrades to enhance the robot’s capabilities.
Highlight
- Their method involves inserting custom-made cones through holes in concrete building blocks, allowing the next layer of blocks to slide into place over the cones.
- This interlocking system ensures precise stacking even if blocks are disturbed by waves.
- The team designed an aquatic robot from scratch to work with this system, with Lensgraf handling the fabrication and engineering.
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