3DOF small scale underwater manipulator — Gripper for unmanned underwater vehicle

This paper presents the design and development of three degree of freedom (DOF) underwater manipulator gripper for unmanned underwater vehicles. The objective is to improve the existing 2DOF underwater gripper into the 3DOF form by adding 1 DOFfor more flexibility. The purpose is to advance the underwater manipulator gripper in terms of its capability and flexibility. Micro Arduino will be used as a controller and thumb joystick will be used to control the movement of waist and arm. The performance of the developed platform is analyzed by conducting an experimental test underwater. Based on result, the maximum load that the 3DOF manipulator gripper can lift for circle shape is 700 grams and for square shape is 400 grams. The outcome show significant achievement for a small scale 3DOF manipulator gripper.