AMADEUS - ADVANCED MANIPULATION FOR DEEP UNDERWATER SAMPLING

AMADEUS is a dexterous subsea robot hand incorporating force and slip contact sensing, using fluid filled tentacles for fingers. Hydraulic p ressure variations in each of three flexible tubes (bellows) in each f inger create a bending moment, and consequent motion or increase in co ntact force during grasping. Such fingers have inherent passive compli ance, no moving parts, and are naturally depth pressure-compensated, m aking them ideal for reliable use in the deep ocean. In addition to th e mechanical design, development of the hand has also considered close d loop finger position and force control, coordinated finger motion fo r grasping, force and slip sensor development/signal processing, and r eactive world modeling/planning for supervisory 'blind grasping'. Init ially, the application focus is for marine science tasks, but broader roles in offshore oil and gas, salvage, and military use are foreseen. Phase I of the project is complete, with the construction of a first prototype. Phase II is now underway, to deploy the hand from an underw ater robot arm, and carry out wet trials with users.