Design of a Tendon Driven Virtual Rolling Contact Joint for Deep-Sea Application

The "Active Suction Device for Deep Sea Applications" (ASDDSA) project aims to develop a pressure-neutral actuation system for a suction sampler attached to work class or inspection class tethered diving robots to collect sediment samples at depths up to 6000m. The aim of the project includes improving operability, reduce cost and maintenance effort without negatively affecting the vehicle’s buoyancy. The actuation system must be scalable and modular to be compatible with various size of host systems. To meet a variety of environmental and operational deep-sea requirements, a tendon driven Virtual Rolling Contact Joint was designed positioning the suction conduit at the center of the prototype. Initial testing under laboratory conditions has provided preliminary proof of concept.