HullBUG Technology Development for Underwater Hull Cleaning

Abstract

The Hull Bio-Mimetic Underwater Grooming (HullBUG) Vehicle System under development holds the potential to dramatically change current hull cleaning methods and their environmental impacts. Frequent use of the HullBUG, a small autonomous cleaning device, on the hulls of Navy ships in port by applying light cleaning pressure or grooming results in a cost effective solution to the underwater fouling problem. As part of overall HullBUG development the Grooming Tool requires particular attention. This tool and variations of it have been used by Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) during several years of testing activities. FIT was assigned the task to come up with a set of parameters that FIT would want in the next generation tool. SeaRobotics was assigned the task of developing a grooming tool that would address those parameters. After review by Navy and FIT personnel the agreed to design would be built and tested. This report documents that effort.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 23, 2013
Accession Number
ADA590142

Entities

People

  • Ben Lovelace
  • Don Darling

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Assembly
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Brushes
  • Contracts
  • Control Systems
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Environment
  • Fabrication
  • Holders
  • Military Research
  • Procurement
  • Production
  • Test Fixtures
  • Unmanned Vehicles
  • Vehicles
  • Wear Resistance

Readers

  • Software Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Underwater engineering and Marine Technology.