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I've been doing some reading which has formulated several questions in my mind. If Alvin and deep ROV's use hydraulic actuation for manipulators, then hydraulics provide obviously superior water / pressure proofing than do electrical actuators for these applications. Still, at K-350 depths, electrical actuation is an interesting option if all can be made bullet proof. Note here on this link how these folks waterproof servos with epoxy and mineral oil. http://www.societyofrobots.com/actuators_waterproof_servo.shtml So the question becomes, would it be practical to use a lynx motion robot arm http://www.lynxmotion.com/Category.aspx?CategoryID=25 as a model, to design and construct a manipulator for a K-350 type submersible that would be nimble enough to pluck say a wristwatch from the seabed? Second question would then be, Is there an existing electrically actuated ROV arm that could be used as a guide for design? Third question would be, what capability (lift capability / length of reach) is a practical or desired design target for a PSUB? Joe |