Submersible Survey Drone
Submersible Survey Drone from Cole Smith
Submersible Survey Drone

The goal of this project was to develop a submersible ROV that would be modular in construction. This allowed for low production cost, interchangeability of unique parts for different missions, and live-feed footage from the ROV. Working with a team of four other engineers, the ROV was designed, fabricated, tested, and completed in two semesters as our engineering project final at the University of West Florida. This prototype was completed under budget due to using existing parts from the university and off the shelf components to save money. Using a yoga mat as the gasket along the top cover gave us access to easy obtainable material, while using my personal 3D printer allowed the team the opportunity to test different concepts faster than outsourcing. The ROV completed the first successful dive in April 2022 reaching a depth of 2 meters.

Rendered final assembly of the ROV. Weighing in at 70lb at neutral bouancy, this sub was built to allow for different testing equipment to be fitted. See bottom of page for project description.
The ROV was controlled using Pi 4 and and Arduino Mega 2560. These were powered by a lithium ion battery pack created by our electrical team.
A schematic of the entire ROV. The front thrusters are angled up 30 degrees to allow for tilting in Z plane while the ballast tanks controlled the rise and float in the Z plane. Using two domes allowed for a multiple cameras, including a top mounted 360 degree camera.
Using four different control gear around the ROV allowed for mounting of the front lights as well as the ballast tanks. The control gear also offer protection to the base of the submersible acting as landing gear.
Pinging the Raspberry Pi 4 and setting up the camera during preliminary testing.
During a two hour float test of the sub in the pool where the camera, motors, and hull were tested.
Preliminary Testing at Pensacola Bay, Fl
Testing of the ROV in a private pool with the lights on at night allowed us to access the visibility of the camera for night dives.
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Submersible Survey Drone

The goal of this project was to develop a submersible ROV that would be modular in construction. This allowed for low production cost, interchangeability of unique parts for different missions, and live-feed footage from the ROV. Working with a team of four other engineers, the ROV was designed, fabricated, tested, and completed in two semesters as our engineering project final at the University of West Florida. This prototype was completed under budget due to using existing parts from the university and off the shelf components to save money. Using a yoga mat as the gasket along the top cover gave us access to easy obtainable material, while using my personal 3D printer allowed the team the opportunity to test different concepts faster than outsourcing. The ROV completed the first successful dive in April 2022 reaching a depth of 2 meters.

Cole Smith
Mechanical Engineer Old Orchard Beach, ME