Design of a Vertical Self-balancing Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are operators and tethered umbilical free. Underwater seismic activity could result in underwater slope instability and land slide. Other geo-hazard issue such as shallow gas hydrates poses threats to human diver. Therefore, after the process of several design concepts generation and evaluation, the concept of revolutionary human-like Vertical Self-balancing AUV was conceived and adopted for this research work. Cylindrical Shape provides larger volume to diameter ratio than the spherical shape and Vertical orientation provide human-like ability to maneuver effectively in confined spaces such as between oil pipelines, underwater umbilicals, risers, moore lines and other sub-sea facilities where the lateral space is limited. This paper presents the design of a Vertical Self-balancing AUV