Preliminary concept and kinematics simulation of a novel Spherical Underwater Robot

This paper describes the preliminary concept of a novel Spherical Underwater Robot. The novel SUR employs a spherical hull and equipped with multiple vectored water-jet-based thrusters. This paper focuses on the preliminary design of the structure and the simulation of the robot´s dynamics and kinematics. On the basis of the structural characteristics of the spherical robot, its dynamic model is derived by applying the Lagrange-Routh equations briefly. The simulation model is established based on ADAMS2007 software. A 3D model of robot is built by CATIA and then exported to ADAMS2007 for simulation. The results of simulation by combining MATLAB/ SIMULINK with ADAMS are presented. The dynamic analysis and simulation are given to verify the validity of this design. The simulation results indicate that the proposed virtual prototype system has the capability of simulative demonstration and performance validation, and can provide an innovative approach for AUV graphic simulation.