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Academics
ROV Project:
Scaling Laser Attachment
I developed this Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) scaling laser attachment during my internship at UCSB Burkepile lab to help better study underwater ecosystems. Distances in video can be distorted due to the water, but a scaling laser can be used a reference to accurately estimate size. From dimensioning, to modeling, and iteratively fabricating, this project gave valuable insight on the typical product design cycle.
Purpose:
Scaling lasers on underwater ROV's are extremely useful to help researchers estimate the size of organisms through video. This is because water can distort distances underwater, making it hard to tell how big a fish is through video recording. However if two lasers are pointed a fixed distance apart, the researcher can use this as a scale to accurately estimate the the complete size of an organism.
Design:
The design of the fixture was based around he Gopro cameras and Blue Robotics ROV that was already available in the lab. Because of this, I designed the mount to attach to the waterproof casing with standard GoPro end connects. A limiting factor to consider was the small cavity that the fixture would fit in on the ROV. Because of this, the design had to be as compact as possible.
Implementation:
In total, I created 8 different iterations of the scaling laser mount. Over the development cycle, I strengthened the arm width significantly, and offset the lasers to be centered with the offset camera lens itself. In addition, I added slots to the side of the laser holders to allow for easy removal of the lasers during use.
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