Traveler: a Wireless Underwater Submarine

Traveler lets anyone venture into the depths of the oceans, lakes, ponds, and even pools. The full kit comes with a submarine, flashlight, camera, sd card, and electronics bay. Traveler is able to record in 1080p at 60 fps. It is also able to take pictures at 1080p.

RC vehicles were always a big part of my childhood growing up. From airplanes to boats, I almost had them all. One of the RC vehicles I did not have was a submarine. Either the submarines were professional-grade (costing thousands of dollars), or cheap plastic ones that would break after a few uses. The submarine built in this project tackles these problems at one go, allowing professionals, hobbyists, and small children to have fun with an RC submarine.

Here is a sketch I made before modeling the submarine in Fusion360.

The body is made from plastic, being cheap to manufacture and durable. To increase quality, most of the parts are injection molded, such as the main body and the control tower. The control tower is designed to have a carbon fiber look to it. It gives some contrast and fits the theme of being modern and clean.

Unlike the main body and control tower, the fins are made of stainless steel and painted in white. The material not only prevents rusting but also helps the rigidity of the component. This helps the rudder maintain a long lifespan before replacement if ever needed.

A ducted fan is used in the submarine for its efficiency. For the same static thrust, a ducted fan has a smaller diameter than a free propeller. This saves weight and money. Ducted fans are also quieter than propellers which is important to not spook creatures underwater such as fish.

There is an option to include the camera with the submarine off the shelves. The camera included with the submarine can record and take pictures in 1080p HD at 60 fps. If the customer chooses to buy the submarine with a camera, it will cost the customer $50 more, but it comes ready to run with a 16gb MicroSD card. The above includes pictures of what is possible with a 1080p HD camera.

A syringe is commonly found in many households, so it's easy for customers to understand the mechanics of a syringe ballast tank. The ballast tank controls the up and down movement of the submarine. The motor moves the seal forwards and backward depending on the direction of rotation. The more water pumped into the tank, the deeper the submarine goes and vice versa.

Connections:

• Battery to ESC
• ESC to Ducted Fan
• ESC to Receiver
• Servos to Receiver
• Ballast Tank Motor to Receiver
• Limit Switches to Receiver and Battery

A transmitter is optional to purchase with the submarine for an additional $10. If a transmitter is not purchased, the buyer must use a 75 MHz transmitter to allow communication through water. The transmitter included provides all the basic functions of the submarine. It is fit for any age to use.

Here are some renders of the submarine!

Thank you for going through my Ible. I hope you all enjoyed and learned something new! Thank you to all the ambassadors of this competition who were very helpful during the design process. I hope to see more in the upcoming future!