The Crabster CR200 standing up
Researchers from the Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) developed a 6 legged robot crab that can travel and explore the underwater world even in rough conditions and go where no (robot) has gone before.
Most underwater vehicles can’t handle rough conditions. That is why the Crabster CR200 was developed to resemble a large crustacean that will allow it to walk on the sea floor using six legs connected by no less than 30 joints.
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The Crabster CR200 robot can remain on the ocean floor for several days and is connected to an external power source above the water and operated by a team of 4 people locate in a container in a ship above the water. It has a built in high resolution scanning sonar, advanced acoustic camera, current profiler (ADCP), and several conventional cameras. The goal is to explore submerged ships in currents moving at 1.5 meters per second which are too strong for existing fiving technologies.
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The Crabster CR200 robot is still in the testing phase and the development team lead by ong-Huan Jun of KIOST (with the help from several universities in Korea) are making sure that the robot is watertight and that all its systems are working well. So far testing dives at a depth of several meters went as planned. A real live mission to explore a submerged ship in aggressive waters is planned for 2014.
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Two of the six legs of the Crabster CR200 can also be used as robotic arms for underwater manipulation of objects which can be stored for later examination above the water in a special compartment. The Crabster CR200 can actually scan the water about 200 meters (or 650 feet) away using its cameras and sensors so it has a clear visibility which many other underwater vassals lack.
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More information can be found on the KIOST website as well as on the ieee article.
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A short video showing the Crabster CR200 first real water testing
A short video showing the Crabster CR200 stand up (above water)
A short video published in 2012 showing a demo of the future Crabster CR200 capabilities
