While researching
unmanned maritime systems I discovered Stanford’s Ocean One. A human like remote operated vehicle (ROV), a
highly capable impressive machine. What’s
most interesting is that the majority of ROVs are box in shape, there is a
square platform with a powertrain system and a few manipulators. This one is
shaped like a mermaid with manipulators for arms.
Traditionally electronics
in ROVs are in water tight containers that keep the air in and the water out to
protect the electronics. Ocean One imbeds the electronics in oil, which doesn’t
compress, and gives this ROV a maximum depth of 2000 meters (Ackerman, 2016). Ocean One has stereoscopic vision just like a
person, which helps the operator view and manipulate the ROV intuitively (Feltlinger,
2016). The arms are spaced from the eyes around the same distance as our arms,
it has human like proportions (Feltlinger, 2016).
There are sensors
throughout Ocean One that gauge currents and turbulence in the water, allowing
for automated position control. This
means that when the operator is manipulating an object Ocean One automatically compensates
and fires its thrusters to keep the itself in place, with additional thrusters
in the arms to keep the hands precisely where the operator wants them (Carey,
2016). These sensors are also used for
collision avoidance. If a collision is
imminent Ocean One can use its arms to absorb the impact, just as a person
would (Carey, 2016).
The biggest advantage of
Ocean One is the arms. It enables the
operator to reach out and grab objects intuitively. Both wrists are fitted with force sensors
that relay that information back to the operator, enabling them to feel how
hard they are gripping objects (Carey, 2016).
There is an automated process to keep the same pressure on an object, to
keep a grip on the object but not crush it (Carey, 2016). Long term Standford wants to place sensors in
each finger in order to provide more accurate feedback for the operator (Carey,
2016).
Ocean One was originally
designed to monitor coral reefs, which is why there is force feedback in the
arms. It was used in 2016 to explore a
shipwreck off the coast of France. It explored La Lune, which King Louis XIVs
flagship, and sank in 1664 (Feltlinger, 2016). It was able to pick up a delicate
vase the size of a grapefruit and then place it in a recover basket (Feltlinger,
2016). This feat was followed by Ocean one giving a high-five to the archaeologists
that dove to the wreckage with it (Feltlinger, 2016).
The press release for the archaeological survey stated “He hovered precisely over the
vase, reached out, felt its contours and weight, and stuck a finger inside to
get a good grip. He swam over to a recovery basket, gently laid down the vase
and shut the lid “(Feltlinger, 2016).
Ocean One represents a
future of unmanned vehicles that I am excited about. The more intuitive we can make these machines
the more capable they will become.
Giving force feedback to the operator and allowing them to maneuver the
vehicle just like they would themselves is the right direction for unmanned
systems.
References:
Ackerman, E. (2016, April
28). Stanford's Humanoid Diving Robot Takes on Undersea Archaeology and Coral
Reefs. Retrieved from http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/ humanoids/stanford-ocean-one-humanoid-diving-robot
Carey, B. (2016, April
27). Stanford's humanoid robotic diver recovers treasures from King Louis XIV's
wrecked flagship. Retrieved from
http://news.stanford.edu/2016/04/27/robotic-diver-recovers-treasures/
Feltlinger, S. (2016,
August 15). Stanford Creates "Robotic Mermaid" To Help With Deep Sea
Exploration. Retrieved from
https://www.dogonews.com/2016/8/15/stanford-creates-robotic-mermaid-to-help-with-deep-sea-exploration
