SBIR Phase I: Crab-like Robotic Platforms for Cutting Underwater Structures

SBIR 第一阶段：用于切割水下结构的类蟹机器人平台

• 批准号: 2335382
• 负责人: John Grezmak
• 金额: $ 27.5万
• 依托单位: CRABLINE ROBOTICS LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-12-15 至 2024-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2335382&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Crab; like; Robotic

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project develops a dexterous, crab-like aquatic robot for underwater construction and decommissioning of structures. With growing efforts to develop sustainable offshore wind energy infrastructure, like wind turbines, new technologies are needed to make the management of this infrastructure safer and more efficient. Existing practices often put human divers at risk in deep, cold, turbid ocean environments while existing aquatic robots or remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) cannot adequately manipulate tools to execute construction and deconstruction work underwater. This project seeks to develop a new class of aquatic robotics that are highly dexterous, inexpensive, and capable of expanding U.S. engineering knowledge and capabilities. This new type of robotic platform is needed by offshore construction and salvage contractors to reduce costs associated with infrastructure management and to improve safety practices. This technology provides underwater robotics capable of supporting the projected growth of marine construction and offshore energy development.This project creates a crab-like robot that utilizes multiple robotic legs to stabilize around a target and deliver a tool, such as an exothermic cutting rod, to the desired target. Inspired by living crabs and their ability to pull inward to grasp a substrate, this new robotic platform will stabilize on a substrate and trace a pre-defined tool path. Using the inward forces of legs combined with adjustable end effectors, the platform will demonstrate easy detachment and secure adhesion to a substrate at different phases of the gait cycle. Novel approaches will be developed to traverse challenging craggy, slippery, and bio-fouled marine structures in order to precisely deliver tools to targets. With legs with more actuated degrees of freedom than the six supports of a Stewart platform, the robot will still be able to stabilize if one leg cannot find purchase during walking motions. The goal in this SBIR Phase I project is to demonstrate a new type of aquatic robots capable of tool stabilization and manipulation at depth.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个小型企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第一阶段项目开发了一种灵巧的螃蟹式水生机器人，用于水下施工和结构退役。随着开发风力涡轮机等可持续海上风能基础设施的努力不断增加，需要新技术来使该基础设施的管理更安全、更高效。现有的做法经常使人类潜水员在深海、寒冷、浑浊的海洋环境中处于危险之中，而现有的水上机器人或遥控潜水器（ROV）无法充分操纵工具来执行水下施工和解构工作。该项目旨在开发一种高度灵巧、价格低廉且能够扩展美国工程知识和能力的新型水上机器人。海上施工和打捞承包商需要这种新型机器人平台来降低与基础设施管理相关的成本并改善安全实践。该技术提供的水下机器人能够支持海洋建筑和海上能源开发的预计增长。该项目创建了一种类似螃蟹的机器人，它利用多个机械腿稳定在目标周围，并将工具（例如放热切割棒）传送到所需目标。受到活螃蟹及其向内拉动以抓住基材的能力的启发，这个新的机器人平台将稳定在基材上并追踪预定义的工具路径。利用腿部的向内力与可调节末端执行器相结合，该平台将在步态周期的不同阶段轻松拆卸并牢固地粘附到基材上。将开发新方法来穿越具有挑战性的崎岖、湿滑和生物污染的海洋结构，以便将工具精确地运送到目标。与斯图尔特平台的六个支撑件相比，腿部具有更多的驱动自由度，如果一条腿在行走过程中无法找到支撑点，机器人仍然能够保持稳定。 SBIR 第一阶段项目的目标是展示一种能够在深度稳定工具和进行操作的新型水下机器人。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。