The Development of Remote-controlled Grab System for Unclear Environment

Hydraulic Grabs are capable of placing and removing of underwater structures without hitch by divers. However, grab operators are unable to observe states of the grabs and the objects when the turbidness of water disturbs observation by TV cameras. For this reason, operators still need support and observation of divers during positioning of the grab and grasping the object. Therefore, this paper proposes a remotely controlled system that can support operators by representing the motion of the grab and the shape of the objects using sensor data and VR technology. Two types grab models are developed and experiments are carryed out. The experimental result show the validity of the proposed remotely controlled system for unclear environment.