Towards a Pantograph-based Interventional AUV for Under-ice Measurement
This addresses the challenge of reliable under-ice measurements for polar research, but it is incremental as it builds on existing robotic and pantograph mechanisms.
The paper tackled the problem of autonomous sampling and measurement under thin Antarctic ice by designing a pantograph-based robotic platform, and preliminary results confirmed the system's feasibility.
This paper addresses the design of a novel interventional robotic platform, aiming to perform an autonomous sampling and measurement under the thin ice in the Antarctic environment. We propose a pantograph mechanism, which can effectively generate a constant interaction force to the surface during the contact, which is crucial for reliable measurements. We provide the proof-of-concept design of the pantograph with a robotic prototype with foldable actuation, and preliminary results of the pantograph mechanism and the localisation system are provided, confirming the feasibility of the system.