Eight-thruster underwater ROV with arm

A remote-operated underwater vehicle for inspection, object handling, scientific research and environmental monitoring. Eight thrusters give it full six-axis control, and a multi-joint arm at the front grasps and samples. The modular design accepts sonar, water samplers and other tools.

Eight-thruster ROV on a white background, three-quarter front view: blue foam float blocks with vertical thrusters, carbon-fibre pressure tube with front camera dome, black frame and a small gripper underneath — Front three-quarter view: floats, carbon hull, camera dome.

Tech stack

Main controller: STM32 / Pixhawk / industrial PC (slide lists all three)
Propulsion: 8 thrusters, 8 ESCs; surge, sway, heave, roll, pitch and yaw control
Manipulator: 4–6 DOF arm (servo / actuator control)
Sensors: IMU and depth sensor; optional sonar, USBL or vision positioning
Camera: 1080p camera with high-power LED lighting
Link: Tether with surface 4G gateway for real-time video, control and data
Ground station: Based on QGroundControl or custom software: live video, recording, sensor display, mission planning and logging

Development time

2 months

Photos and design files

Eight-thruster ROV on a white background seen from above: four blue float blocks with thrusters around a carbon-fibre tube, yellow and black cables at one end — Top view: thruster layout around the carbon hull.

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