Development of a small glider type UROV for environmental surveying

-Prototyping of a small carbon dioxide cylinder based buoyancy controller-

Abstract

This study aims to develop a small glider type UROV for sampling bottom sediment of lakes. A glider system is expected to extend the survey range of the robot. To achieve efficient repeated diving and surfacing, a lightweight and small buoyancy controller is necessary. In this paper, a buoyancy controller that uses a carbon dioxide cylinder is developed. Basic discussion regarding design and verification experiments are presented.