Effects of the Thrusters Orientation in the Displacement of the Underwater Robot UDrobot: Design and Experimentation

Underwater robots need a number of thrusters to perform their movements. However, there are movements that require another type of actuator, otherwise the thrusters must replace it. Verifying the correct orientation of the thrusters in a robot of this type allows choosing the orientation that best benefits the robot's movement. Four different tests were performed where vertical forces and torques were applied to be exerted by the robot, capturing depth values and the orientation of the robot's pose, each test with a different angle of inclination of the thrusters. The angle that achieved the best results was the angle of -5 degrees with respect to the vertical.