The AUV hull consists of two pressure vessels, a frame structure, five thruster mounting brackets, four end caps, and supports.

  • Pressure Vessels: Both pressure vessels are made of polycarbonate and have a length of 16.5". The upper vessel has an outer diameter of 8" and contains all electronics components. The lower vessel has an outer diameter of 6" and contains the batteries and the battery tray, which is made of high-density foam. It is used to prevent the batteries from moving while inside the pressure vessel.
  • Frame Structure: The frame structure consists of a plane of polycarbonate, which connects the two vessels and supports the thrusters.
  • Thruster Mounting Brackets: The thruster mounting brackets are made of 1/8 inch stainless steel. The thruster mounting plates are made to allow for height adjustments so that the vehicle dynamics can be altered.
  • End Caps: The end caps for both vessels are made of 6061 aluminum alloy. Two o-rings on each end cap seal the vessels. The size of the bore was dictated by the size of the o-ring and was taken from the Parker-O-Ring Manual.
  • Supports: Four leg-like members formed from 1/8 inch aluminum were added to the vehicle to hold 1 inch aluminumpipes containingballast weights. The ballast pipes thereby form feet that allow the vehicle to sit on the ground without additional support.

The vehicle employs five SeaBotix STD150 thrusters for propulsion and motion control. Three of the thrusters are mounted vertically, two forward on either side of the front edge of the hull and one aft of the hull. Since the vehicle is positively buoyant, the vertical thrusters must provide the force to submerge the vehicle. By varying the proportion of the total force between the three thrusters, the pitch and roll attitude of the vehicle can be controlled. Two thrusters are mounted horizontally to drive the vehicle in the forward or reverse directions. Varying the proportion of thrust between the two thrusters provides the steering control for the vehicle.