GEERHEAD
sensors looking for the horizon.
This is the “VideoRay” sub, a new robot that is
being designed entirely by the UTSA ACE lab team with
custom housing, motors, and propeller designs.
batteries. The flight control board in each UAV controls the
autopilot, GPS, and other systems and communications with
ground control and other UAVs.
Quad Rotor UAVs
The quad-rotor UAVs are equipped with four motors
and rotors that adjust the yaw, roll, pitch, and drive the
vehicle, as well. The payload for these UAVs is dead center
between the four rotors in the middle of the craft.
The scientists based the quad rotor UAVs on the R/C
Toys Draganflyer V Ti model. Four electric Mabuchi 380
brushed DC motors drive the rotors. The Draganflyer uses
thermal intelligence to control its flight. This is intelligence
about the difference in temperature between the earth
below and the sky above, as determined by infrared
Autonomous
Underwater Vehicles
UTSA uses an AUV design with
three vertical thrusters, two of which
are forward and one is aft. It also
uses two horizontal thrusters for
motion control. The body of the AUV
is drain, waste, and vent (DWV) PVC
pipe. This piping is thicker, which is
optimal for a submarine robot which
must withstand higher pressure at
increasing depths.
The scientists used modified bilge
pumps as thruster units. They substituted a computer’s
cooling fans for existing impellers to create thrust. The
AUVs communicate via packets using ZigBee technology
radio modules. All the robots use ZigBee, as well as an
expandable communications protocol adapted for the
multiple swarm robot domains that make up the complete
system’s architecture.
The Future
You will read more and more about swarming
behavior of robots based on a low cost, low capability
design. Once again this biomimetic approach to problem
solving will likely yield large gains for small effort — and
help advance the use of robots as semi-autonomous
intelligence gathering devices. SV
Members of the research team helping high school
students handle a number of UTSA ACE submarines
(AUVs) including a large vehicle created by
Matthew Joordens (center).
12 SERVO 05.2009
