Our Underwater Snake Robot featured in Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun

An article featuring our lab’s underwater snake robot was published in Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. The robot uses submersible geared electric servo motors that operate without waterproof seals. Unlike traditional thruster-based or tracked ROVs which are susceptible to entanglement in weedy or debris-filled waters, our robot employs fin-based propulsion to navigate through complex underwater environments. While fin propulsion is typically used in fish-type robots, our research focuses on a multi-jointed (snake-like) design that enables not only swimming but also manipulation and handling using the robot’s flexible body. To reduce reliance on expensive underwater force or torque sensors we developed a sensorless torque control system using submersible motors. In a recent demonstration, the robot successfully grasped and collected floating objects using this sensorless control method.

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