Underwater Suction Cup

Working Model

That looks fantastic, but can it actually release it?

Yes, yes it can!(Sorry for the rap music)

Suction Cup Testing

Simple proof of concept in a bucket. Amazing that it looks like it just works! Simple pressure applied from a reasonable sized suction cup, and it’s good! Having multiple bellows was super important, ensuring that we could have a good amount of freedom from our attack angle is pivotable on a submarine with so many degrees of freedom.

Suction Cone

Here’s the actual magic, a funnel with gaps on the side creates a really simple but crude venturi system. This allows water to be pulled it, and then pushed out in limited quantities, forcing a pressure difference to occur and the system to work! For simplicity and with the limited time frame, the cone was 3d printed. A plastic pneumatic hose was connected using a press on fitting. To have a solid seal on the fitting attachment, hot glue and heat shrink were used in conjuction.

Arm

To actualy reach the objects for this years challenge, we have to go around some lovely rails. The easy fix for this is to have the arm be attached to a 4 bar linkagage and lower itself, while maintaining the entire object parallel the entire time. Using some lovely carbon fiber tubes, 3d prints, and nylon bearings, The system works great!