I couldn’t help but make a prototype of an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) design I’ve been thinking about with the Bristlemouth parts I have access to. Although I didn’t have access to Bristlemouth Motes when I built this, I was able to put together this system with power-only connections in only a few days.
This design could be useful for doing photogrammetric bottom surveys or running side scan survey lines, although my real motivation for building it was just to play around with the concept of building a vehicle this way were everything is modular and flooded. For efficient operation, the bottom profile of the vehicle would be covered with a flooded cowling to keep things hydrodynamic.
The batteries, hub, light and thrusters in this prototype are all functional although they are not communicating with the Bristlemouth protocol just yet. The plastic cylinder in the front of the vehicle is a place holder for a buoyancy engine I’m planning to develop, and the fin on the top is a place-holder for a GPS/ Communications radio stack that I’d also like to build. All items aside from the camera would be potted.
