Through my role as a Junior Design Engineer within the subsea technology team, I designed, built and installed a system that maintains ROV payloads on an uncrewed vessel. I was responsible for the full project lifecycle from concept to installation on the test platform. Throughout the design phase I liaised with relevant stakeholders to capture a robust set of requirements. I then ideated concepts and evaluated them against these criteria. A low-fi prototype was used in testing to generate data driven reasoning. This data supported the proposed design as well as informing the development of future payload maintenance systems. The identified set of optimal parameters informed the design of the final system. I used rapid prototyping and my fabrication skills to assemble and install the hardware element on the test platform. I then developed and installed the control electronics hardware integrating an industrial grade PLC. This was programmed to interface with the existing payload control stack, enabling over the horizon control. A touch screen widget was then developed to enable the operator to control the system remotely. This system improves the long-term reliability of the ROV, decreasing operational downtime, and ensures the survey camera is clean and the clients’ data is of high quality.
