Underwater Manipulator for Sampling Mission with AUV in Deep-Sea

Abstract

Deep-sea exploration has taken a remarkable attention among the researchers and we are developing a group of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) dedicated for deep-sea observations, collecting sea creatures and biological samples. We discuss the basic development of the mechanical, hydraulic and electrical systems of 4 degrees of freedom (DOF) underwater hydraulic manipulator. Manipulator system design is explained in details along with the design requirements and experimental results. The developed manipulator is successfully installed on the AUV named TunaSand2 and a number of experiments are performed in different deep-sea sites to realize the usability and reliability of the manipulator system.