Development of Manipulation Purpose Small Agent Vehicle for UUVs

Abstract

We conducted efficient underwater manipulation that can lift heavy weight or perform simple tasks. We developed manipulation purposed small agent vehicle with gripper, flops and sensors. With the winch system, the lifting force of weight is empowered. The agent has independent navigation and object detection abilities, then only winding up winch signal is needed. This system is useful for use in areas where large underwater robots are difficult to access. We called this system as agent vehicle manipulation system. Finally, we accomplished the stand alone experiment of manipulation system in a water tank. The agent autonomously found such object, and lifted up to surface. The system verified the results of manipulation that can successfully bring the object.