Category: Submersible

Modular Underwater Drone Assembles Like Lego

The US Navy has an interesting patent for an unmanned underwater vehicle (or UUV) platform that can be easily tailored to any mission. The UUV platform has components that fit together either mechanically or with magnets, and these components allow the user to create a mission-specific UUV. Why is this important? Water is a tricky medium to move through. If a UUV has to go beyond a certain depth, it needs to be able to […]

Morphing Wheels and Slithering Robots

University of Colorado’s Adaptive Robotics Lab has filed for an interesting structure based on tensegrity. The geometry of the structure can be changed, allowing it to be used for driving or for swimming robots. As a wheel, the structure can be completely two-dimensional, or spherical. For swimming applications, the structure can be manipulated to allow the robot to propel itself like a snake. There is even a jumping function possible using a bistable mechanism. The […]