IURA: An Inexpensive Underwater Robotic Arm for Kalypso ROV

Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROVs) used in net cages at fish farms are usually employed to inspect net wear and biofouling. Implementing a robotic system to repair the damages can reduce diver costs and can be lucrative for the aquaculture company. This paper presents the design, fabrication, and modeling of an affordable subsea robotic arm called IURA, that can be integrated to any underwater vehicle. For this study Kalypso ROV was used. Although IURA is at its infancy, it features (i) high modularity allowing to change end-effector tool effortlessly, and (ii) low- cost which makes it feasible for any ROV integration. It is mostly 3D-printed and has two servo motors as joints featuring 2 Degrees of Freedom (DoF). Two manipulators were tested, one to dispose fish morts, and another to remove objects from the net cages at fish farms. In this work, the design of IURA will be presented along with the fabrication and sealing of the arm. Furthermore, the modeling of the robotic arm will be quoted and flow simulation of both end-effectors. Finally, the experimental results will be discussed. The proposed design features customizability and sturdiness while retaining low-cost and can be used for subsea operations at Kefalonia Fisheries' net cages when mounted on Kalypso ROV.