A Spherical Amphibian Underwater Robot: Preliminary Mechanical Design

Abstract

Recently, researchers from throughout the world have concentrated their efforts on amphibious robots inspired by amphibians. Because of their exceptional adaptability, amphibian robots may be used in a wide range of applications, including scientific, commercial, and military ventures. With such advantages, the design of a spherical amphibian underwater robot should consider the constraint that all components must be kept within the sphere, and that reducing the size would lessen the buoyancy force resting on it. The purpose of this dissertation is to propose a novel structural design for a spherical amphibian underwater robot with aim to secure all of the components by placing them within the sphere and to ensure that the proposed design can travel on land and underwater without changing its structure while consume less energy. The prototyping process was done using rapid prototyping machine (RPM) after digital design created in Fusion 360 is finalize. The proposed prototype weighs 4.728 kg with a diameter of 35 cm. The prototype is appropriate for system identification and modelling, as well as control system testing platform.