JAKARTA – The robotics team of the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Banyubramanta, again gave birth to innovations for Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) robots. Underwater robot designed by Banyubramanta, it managed to win six award categories at once through the Underwater national event Robot Challenge – Wonderfull Indonesia Robot Challange (WIRC) 2021.
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General Manager of the ITS Banyubramanta Team for the 2021-2022 Period, Afrizal Pradana Firmansyah, explained that there were two kinds of robots, namely the Sea Wasp robot and the Glaucus Atlanticus robot. Each robot is held by a different sub-team.
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The Sea Wasp robot has a larger dimension specification than the Glaucus Atlanticus robot. The 3D design software used is also different, Sea Wasp uses Solid Works, while Glaucus Atlanticus uses Autodesk Inventor. “In essence, the two sub-teams carry the concept of an underwater robot with different frame designs, PCB circuits, and robot dimensions,” he said through a press release, Saturday (18/9/2021).
Afrizal said that overall the mini ROV robots that are designed have the same way of working. Both robots can be controlled using a wireless remote with a motor and propeller drive system.
Technically, the signal from the remote user will be received by the receiver and processed by the microcontroller, programming logic, and electronic components which include Arduino, Voltage Regulator, Integrated Circuit (IC), motor driver, and battery.
Then the microcontroller will instruct the motor driver to drive the motor. So that the robot can move as desired by the user, such as forward, backward, turn right, turn left, and even rotate. “In addition, the robot’s capabilities can be run underwater to a depth of 30-50 centimeters,” said the student from Pasuruan.
Due to the existing mobility demands, he continued, both robots were designed with a waterproof design to protect their electronic components. In this case, the team used a plastic eating place as the body of the robot. Furthermore, there is a 3D print for the body frame that functions as a place for the robot’s motor which is located on the outside of the body.
“On the front of the robot is also equipped with a DC motor pump which is useful for missions at the WIRC event, namely taking and moving marbles as underwater objects,” said the student from the Electrical Engineering Department.
Afrizal said that the uniqueness of the robot carried by the Banyubramanta team is in its ability to suck underwater objects. In addition to completing the race mission, the two robots can also be used as prototypes for underwater garbage suction robots, seeing that there is still a lot of garbage in sea water that can damage marine ecosystems.
Not only that, this robot uses its own 3D print design for the frame on the robot body, a self-assembled DC pump motor with supporting components, as well as a simple electronic design to make it easier to replace components in the event of a troubleshoot.
“This type of robot has existed before, but at ITS itself there has been no mini ROV robot that has been competed outside campus, so our team took the initiative to make it,” said the young man who was born March 15, 2000.
Robots that take the philosophy of the agile and dangerous animals in the ocean will continue to be developed and evaluated from their shortcomings. To be better, Afrizal said that he would develop research on waterproof components made of fiber or the like, as well as using much better electronic components so they can last longer in water.
Competing in a national-scale event in early September, the Sea Wasp robot managed to win all categories, namely the category Running ROV, People Choice, Most Popular Video, Most Education Value, Community Awareness, and Community Building. For sub-team 2, the Glaucus Atlanticus robot received an award in the category Community Awareness. “This is an increase from last year which only brought home one award,” Afrizal said.
This class of 2018 student hopes that the Banyubramanta team will continue to develop robot research every year, both in terms of technical aspects and in terms of the technology used. “Hopefully in the future we can win all competitions that are followed and bring the good name of ITS campus in front of national and international,” he concluded.
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