The development of testbed vehicles for underwater systems testing and AUV controller experimentation

The goal of this research project is the design and construction of a submersible robot platform for underwater systems testing and AUV controller experimentation. Requirements of the robot platform are that it should provide an economical underwater robot test platform that electrical, mechanical and computer solutions can be tested on quickly and easily. A two-pronged approach has been adopted to meet this project goal and two underwater robot vehicles have been developed, UMAR and Tethra. These robot vehicles are of differing physical design, physical size, configuration and cost. Both robots have been developed by the marine robotics research group at the University of Limerick. The mechanical and electrical hardware design of the vehicles are detailed within this thesis and the integration of robot subsystems such as Power, Propulsion and Motion, Ballast, Navigation and Control Systems for each robot is presented. Preliminary testing carried out on the UMAR and Tethra vehicles during development is also documented.