The autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) team at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (AUV-IITB) is looking to evolve its Matsya series of AUVs with new capabilities.
A representative from the AUV-IITB team told Janes in October that the institute is seeking improved performance from Matsya 6, the latest model in its Matsya family of AUVs. The team participated with this variant in RoboSub 2020, an international student competition for designing and building robotic submarines, winning third prize in the presentation category.
The Matsya 6 AUV features separate hulls that house and protect its subsystems and electronics. (AUV-IITB)
Matsya 6 is a 1.05 m-long man-portable system capable of performing underwater surveillance and light inspection tasks up to a depth of 45 m. The vehicle weighs 37 kg and features a modular design that facilitates the ease of integrating and removing components such as batteries, thrusters, and cameras. The skeleton type frame of the indigenously developed vehicle is designed to reduce weight without compromising on structural strength.
Matsya 6 features a primary hull that houses the vehicle’s major subsystems and a secondary hull that protects its electronic speed controller (ESC) and electronic circuits.
The main hull has been redesigned and features several enhancements that distinguish it from the earlier variants. It includes new features including layered and backplane electrical stacking, and a redesigned baseplate to ensure sufficient heat dissipation. The graphics processing unit (GPU) is now mounted directly on the baseplate to improve heat transfer performance.
The Matsya 6’s ESC hull is a new feature that not only provides improved heat dissipation, but also reduces 60% of the volume previously occupied by the ESC and electronic circuitry in the earlier variants.
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