Mechanical

The submarine is mainly composed of:

  • An anodized aluminum frame forming a dual-level structure

  • 8 x T200 thrusters

  • A custom electrical enclosure

  • A Blue Robotics acrylic tube enclosure for the battery

  • A torpedo system

  • A dropper system

The mechanical design was developed to ensure full maneuverability in all directions while keeping the system as lightweight as possible. It is also protected against corrosion through anodization and the use of sacrificial anodes.

Mechanical Assembly

A robot with six black spherical wheels arranged around a central metallic rectangular body, on a table in a workshop or laboratory setting.
Diagram of a robot chassis with wheels, motors, and mounting points for electronic components.

Electrical Box

The electrical enclosure was custom-designed to minimize weight as much as possible. The box dimensions are 325 × 250 × 164 mm. It includes 16 holes for:

  • 8 thrusters

  • DVL

  • Battery

  • Battery temperature sensor

  • Servo motor

  • Depth sensor

There are two windows one at the front and one at the bottom for the cameras. A mechanical analysis was conducted to ensure the enclosure is waterproof up to a depth of 10 m.

A metal mold with a ribbed surface, used for manufacturing or industrial purposes.
Color-coded 3D finite element analysis of an electronic component with nodes and voltage values, showing stress distribution.
A grey rectangular electronic device with multiple ports, connectors, and a transparent window on one side.

Dropper and Torpedo

For the different challenges of Robosub 2026, the team developed two subsystems that are integrated together. Each subsystem can be activated by a camshaft mechanism driven by a servo motor. Both systems were 3D printed in TPU.

  • The dropper releases markers using a spring-loaded mechanism. It can hold up to two markers per run. The markers were custom-designed to ensure they fall straight, even if the robot is not perfectly level.

  • The torpedo launcher uses a spring system to hold and fire two torpedoes at predetermined targets. The torpedoes were custom-designed and validated using CFD analysis and MATLAB simulations.

A cluster of green and white plastic batteries or battery-like objects.
A detailed technical illustration of an electric motor assembly, including a yellow battery pack, a motor with red components, and mounting hardware on a gray base.
A close-up of a metal industrial machine component with water droplets on its surface, situated on a flat surface, with a blurred background including a yellow object.