WAVE is a novel physical testbed developed for underwater manipulation studies.
Read about: the Testbed Overview, Hardware, and Software.
See the bill of materials and 3D models to build your own.
Key capabilities:
- Replicated ROV motion: surge-sway-heave-yaw within an approximately 2m x 2m x 1m square workspace
- Ground truth localization: feedback from joint encoders at each axis can be used to accurately reconstruct the forward kinematics of the testbed and provide accurate state estimation
- Two operating modes: rigid and passively compliant. In the passive-mode, the ROV body can pitch similar to how an underactuated vehicle without pitch control would rotate during manipulatormotion due to dynamic coupling.
- Modularity: the testbed can be disassembled and re-assembled within two hours