Solution 1

The thought that went into my solutions was multi-faceted. As the hull architect, I had to take into account the placement of the subsystems, while keeping in mind both the power to size ratio and buoyancy. My goal in the following was to provide solutions that could be compared against my specs. This way, a clear "best solution" could be determined. As such, I tried to vary materials, subsystem locations, and buoyancy from solution to solution.

Solution 1 is close to cubical in dimensions, but the width is slightly longer than the length. There are four propellers, two located on the top and two in the back. The robotic arm is located on the opposite side of the propellers. This ROV is neutrally buoyant, so the up/down propellers will do all work to move the ROV through the water column. The power cable release is located on the top of the ROV in the space between the up/down propellers, and is encased within a plastic tubing to keep it from becoming tangled with the up/down propellers. Its dimensions were 2’ x 2’6” x 2’6”, but has since been reduced to 1'6" x 2' x 2' to accomodate buoyancy. Its frame is made of PVC pipe 1.5" in diameter.

The total displacement of this hull, considering the new dimensions and that all pvc is capped, is 466.3 cubic inches. This converts to 7,641.3 cubic centimeters. Since the density of water is 1, this hull will displace 7.64 kg of water.