Key Terms: Robotics, Mechanical Design, Root Cause Analysis
MicroFloats are autonomous underwater vehicles created to traverse the ocean and measure the effects of carbon on the ecosystem. Once deployed, the robot descends to a target depth and drifts passively on ocean currents before resurfacing. Oil is pumped into an expandable bellows to change the vehicle’s volume and control the float buoyancy.
This was a continuation of a Georgia Tech Capstone project under Dr. Michael West. I was working in his lab on a separate project called Nekton for the past two years and began contributing to MicroFloats as part of a summer undergraduate research internship through the Georgia Tech Research Institute.
As an undergraduate research assistant, I:
- Designed the communication system enclosure using Solidworks
- Identified and repaired system issues including a malfunctioning buoyancy pump
- Conducted test protocols, evaluating system functionality compared to MATLAB simulation
This project allowed me to focus on mechanical design, system integration, and troubleshooting. I was able to gain added insight when dealing with complex robotics problems and how to address factors like water proofing, narrow space constraints, and communication limitations.
